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JOURNAL. 

OF 

TRAVELS 

FROM 

NEW-HAMPSHIRE 

T  Q 

C  A  E  A  T  U  C  K, 

On  the  Continent  of 

NORTH-AMERICA. 


B  Y 

GEORGE     KEITH,    A.M., 

Late   Missionary   from   the    Society  for   the   Propagation 
:    of  the    G^pel  in   Foreign   Parts;     and    now    Rector 
of  Edburton  in   Sussex. 


LONDON, 

rtilted   ])}  *inff*   for    Bmh.  Aylmer   at   the    Three-Pigeons, 

oat  the  Royal-Exchange  in   Cornhill,  1706. 


EL 


hit'. 


TO     THE 

Most  Reverend  Father  in    G  0  D 

THOMAS, 

Lord  Arch-Bishop  of 

CANTERBURY,  &c, 

PRESIDENT; 

And  to  the  rest  of  the 

MEMBERS 

OF     THE 

iety  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Qospel 
in  Foreign  Parts ; 


This    JOURNAL 


Is  most  humbly  Dedicated 
By  their  late  Missionary 

George   Keith. 
M152357 


JOURNAL 

OF      THE 

QxavtiB   and   miniatrg 

Of  the  Reverend 

GEORGE  KEITH,  A.M. 


THE  Twenty  eighth  Day  of  April  1702,  I  sailed  from  Cowes  in  the 
Isle  of  Wight,  in  one  of  the  Queens  Ships,  called  the  Centurion,- 
whereof  Captain  Heme  was  Commander,  who  was  very  Civil  to  me, 
bound  for  Boston  in  New-England  ;  and  by  the  good  Providence  of 
God  we  arriv'd  at  Boston  the  Eleventh  day  of  June,  our  whole  time  of  Passage 
being  Six  Weeks  and  one  Day.  Colonel  Dudley  Governour  of  New-England, 
and  Colonel  Poin<e  Deputy  Governour,  and  Mr.  Morris,  with  all  whom  we  sailed 
in  the  same  shira  were  so  generous  and  kind  both  to  Mr.  Patrick  Gordon 
Missionary  for  LoWj-Island,  and  to  me,  that  at  their  desire  we  did  Eat  at  their 
Table  all  the  Voyage  on  free  cost. 

At  my  Arrival  the  Reverend  Mr.  Samuel  Miles,  and  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Christopher  Bridge,  both  Ministers  of  the  Church  of  England  Congregation 
at  Boston,  did  kindly  receive  me  and  the  two  ministers  in  company  with  me, 
and  we  lodg'd,  and  were  kindly  entertained  in  their  Houses,  during  our  abode 
at  Boston, 

June  14,  1702,  being  Sunday,  at  the  request  of  the  abovenamed  Ministers 
of  the  Church  of  England,  I  Preached  in  the  Queens  Chappel  at  Boston,  on 
Eph.  2.  20,  21,  22.  where  was  a  large  Auditory,  not  only  of  Church  People, 
but  of  many,  others. 

Soon  after,  at  the  request  of  the  Ministers  and  Vestry,  and  others  of  the 
Auditory,  my  Sermon  was  Printed  at  Boston.  It  contained  in  it,  towards  the 
conclusion,  Six  plain  brief  Rules  (  Vide  Appendix),  which  I  told  my  Auditory 
did  well  agree  to  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  they  being  well  observed  and  put 
in  Practice,  would  bring  all  to  the  Church  of  England  who  dissented  from  her. 


6  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

This  did  greatly  Alarm  the  Independent  Preachers  at  Boston.  Whereupon 
Mr.  Increase  Mather,  one  of  the  chief  of  them,  was  set  on  Work  to  Print 
against  my  Sermon,  as  accordingly  he  did,  and  Published  a  small  Treatise 
against  the  said  six  Rules,  wherein  he  laboured  to  prove  them  all  false  and 
contrary  to  Scripture,  but  did  not  say  any  thing  against  the  Body  of  my 
Sermon.  And  not  long  after,  I  Printed  a  Treatise  in  Vindication  of  these  Six 
Rules,  in  answer  to  his,  wherein  I  shewed  the  invalidity  of  his  objections 
against  them.  This  I  had  Printed  at  New  York,  the  Printer  at  Boston  not 
daring  to  Print  it,  lest  he  should  give  offence  to  the  Independent  Preachers 
there.  After  it  was  Printed,  the  printed  Copies  of  it  were  sent  to  Boston, 
and  dispersed  both  over  New-England  and  the  other  parts  of  North  America. 

June  21,  Sunday.  I  preached  a  second  Sermon  at  the  Queens  Chappel, 
on  Rom.  10.  6,  1,  8,  9. 

June  28,  Sunday.  The  Reverend  Mr.  John  Talbot,  who  had  been  Chap- 
lain in  the  Centurion,  Preached  there. 

By  the  advice  of  my  good  Friends  at  Boston,  and  especially  of  Colonel 
Joseph  .Dudley,  Go'vernour  of  Boston  Colony,  I  chose  the  abovenamed  Mr. 
John  Talbot  to  be  my  Assistant  and  Associate  in  my  Missionary  Travels  and 
Services,  he  having  freely  and  kindly  offered  himself,  and  whom  I  freely  and 
kindly  received,  and  with  the  first  occasion  I  wrote  to  the  Society,  praying 
them,  to  allow  of  him  to  be  my  Fellow-Companion  and  Associate  in  Travels, 
&c,  which  they  accordingly  did,  and  indeed  Divine  Providence  did  well  order 
it,  for  he  proved  a  very  loving  and  faithful  Associate  to  me,  and  was  very 
helpful  to  me  in  all  respect,  and  was  well  approved  and  esteemed  every 
where,  both  with  respect  to  his  Preaching  and  Living,  in  the  several  places 
where  we  Travelled. 

July  1,  Wednesday.  I  went  from  Boston  to  Cambridge  in  New-England, 
accompanied  with  my  associate  Mr.  Talbot,  and  Mr.  Bridge  abovenamed,  and 
I  was  present  at  the  Commencement,  which  was  that  very  day  :  and  having 
heard  Mr.  Samuel  Willard,  President  of  the  College,  at  the  said  Commence- 
ment maintain  some  Assertions  that  seemed  to  me  very  unsound,  the  next 
day  I  writ  a  Letter  to  him  in  Latin,  shewing  my  great  dislike  of  those  his 
assertions,  and  after  some  days  I  sent  it  to  him  ;  after  this,  at  the  request  of 
some  there,  I  put  it  into  English,  and  had  it  Printed  at  New  York,  and 
dispersed  into  many  other  places  of  America,  as  well  as  of  New  England. 

The  Assertions  abovenamed  of  the  said  Mr.  Samuel  Willard,  that  seemed 
to  me  very  unsound,  were  these :  I.  That  the  Fall  of  Adam,  by  virtue  of 
God's  Decree,  was  necessary.  II.  That  every  free  act  of  the  Reasonable 
Creature  is  determined  by  God,  so  that  whatever  the  Reasonable  Creature 
acteth  freely,  it  acteth  the  same  necessarily. 

Not  long  after  my  Letter  to  him  was  Published  and  dispersed,  he  Printed 
a  reply  to  it,  in  a  small  Treatise  containing  about  four  Sheets,  where  notwith- 
standing his  many  shufflings,  and  seeming  to  disown  the  charge,  he  very 
roundly  and  plainly  not  only  asserts  all  that  I  had  charged  on  him,  but  much 
more,  as  appears  from  his  express  Words,  Page  50  of  the  said  Reply,  Where 
he  saith,  Nor  shall  I  part  with  my  opinion  ?  viz.  that  the  Origine  and  Cause 
of  the  necessity  of  the  first  Sin  is  more  to  be  derived  from  God,  than  from 
Man  himself.  Nay  further,  (saith  he)  that  the  whole  cause  of  the  futurity 
of  it  is  owing  to  the  divine  Decree,  though  still  the  whole  sin  and  blame  of  it 


George  Keith's  Journal.  1 

is  due  to  Adam,  for  that  in  the  accomplishing  of  his  Apostacy,  he  abused  his 
own  free  Will,  and  Voluntarily  transgressed  the  Cow  mind. 

After  some  time  that  his  Reply  to  my  Letter  was  Printed,  I  published  in 
Print  an  answer  to  his  Reply,  my  answer  contain?  ;  bout  six  Sheets.  My 
Endeavours  in  these  matters,  by  the  Blessing  of  C  od,  had  a  good  effect  in 
quieting  the  Minds  of  many  People  in  these  parts,  a'  d  bringing  them  over  to 
the  Church,  in  East-Jersey,  especially  at  Elizabeth  Town  there.  Such  who 
desire  to  read  both  my  Answer  to  Mr.  Samuel  Willard,  and  my  letter,  and 
also  my  Answer  to  Mr.  Increase  Mather  in  vindication  of  the  six  Rules  above- 
mentioned,  together  with  all  the  other  Treatises  I  published  in  Print  during 
my  abode  in  America,  from  June  11th  1702,  to  June  the  Sth  1704,  and 
some  Printed  Sermons  within  the  said  time,  may  find  them  at  the  most 
Reverend  Thomas  Lord  Arch-Bishop  of  Canterbury  his  Library  at  St.  M  rtins, 
all  bound  up  together  in  one  Volume,  which  I  presented  to  the  Society  firae 
small  time  after  my  arrival  at  London. 

July  5,  Sunday.  I  Preached  again  at  the  Queens  Chappel  in  Boston  upon 
Rev.  3.  20. 

July  8,  July  9,  Thursday.  I  went  from  Boston  to  Linn,  accompanied  with 
Mr.  Talbot,  and  the  next  day,  being  the  Quakers  Meeting  day,  we  visited  their 
Meeting  there,  having  first  called  at  a  Quaker's  House,  who  was  of  my  former 
acquaintance.  Mr.  Shepherd  the  Minister  cf  Linn  did  also  accompany  us, 
but  the  Quakers,  though  many  of  them  had  been  formerly  Members  of  his 
Church,  were  very  abusive  to  him,  as  they  were  unto  us.  After  some  time 
of  silence,  I  stood  up  and  began  to  speak,  but  they  did  so  interrupt  with  their 
Noise  and  Clamour  against  me,  that  I  could  not  proceed,  though  I  much 
entreated  them  to  hear  me :  So  I  sat  down  and  heard  their  Speakers  one  after 
another  utter  abundance  of  falsehoods  and  impertinencies  and  gross  perversions 
of  many  Texts  of  the  Holy  Scripture.  After  their  Speakers  had  done,  they 
basted  to  be  gone  :  I  desired  them  to  stay,  and  I  would  shew  them  that  they 
had  spoke  many  falshoods,  and  perverted  many  places  of  Scripture,  but  they 
would  not  stay  to  hear.  But  many  of  the  People  staid,  some  of  them 
Quakers,  and  others  who  were  not  Quakers  but  disaffected  to  the  Quakers 
Principles.  I  asked  one  of  their  Preachers  before  he  went  away,  seeing  they 
Preached  so  much  the  sufficiency  of  the  Light  within  to  Salvation,  (without 
any  thing  else)  did  the  Light  within  teach  him  without  Scripture,  that  our 
Blessed  Saviour  was  born  of  a  Virgin,  and  died  for  our  Sins,  &c.  He  replyed, 
If  he  said  it  did,  I  would  not  believe  him,  and  therefore  he  would  not 
answer  me. 

After  their  Speakers  were  gone,  I  went  up  into  the  Speakers  Gallery,  where 
they  use  to  stand  and  Speak,  and  I  did  read  unto  the  People  that  staid  to 
hear  me,  Quakers  and  others,  many  Quotations  out  of  Edw.  Burroughs^ 
Folio  Book,  detecting  his  vile  Errors,  who  yet  was  one  of  their  chief  Authors, 
particularly  in  Page  150,  151.  where  he  renders  it  the  Doctrine  of  Salvation 
that's  only  necessary  to  be  Preached,  viz.  Christ  within,  and  that  he  is  a 
Deceiver  that  exhorts  People  for  Salvation  to  any  otlu  thing  than  the  Light 
within  ;  as  appears  by  his  several  Queries  in  the  Pages  ,'ited.  And  where  he 
saith,  Page  273.  that  the  Svfferir.  js  of  the  People  of  G  >d  in  this  Age  [mean- 
ing the  Quakers']  are  greater  Sufferings,  and  more  Unjust,  than  those  of 
Christ  and  the  Apostles  ;  what  was  done  to   Christ,  or  to  the  A'postles,  was 


8  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

chiefly  done  by  a  Law,  and  in  great  part  by  the  due  execution  of  a  Law.  But 
all  this  a  noted  Quaker,  whose  name  I  spare  to  mention,  (as  I  generally  intend 
to  spare  the  mentioning  of  their  Names)  did  boldly  defend.  But  another 
Quaker  who  stood  by,  confessed  the  last  Passage  in  rendering  the  Quakers 
Sufferings  greater  and  more  unjust  than  the  Sufferings  of  Christ,  was  not  well 
worded,  but  to  excuse  it,  said,  we  must  not  make  a  Man  an  offender  for 
a  word.  x 

July  10.  We  came  to  Hampton,  and  were  very  kindly  entertained  there. 
Hampton  is  distant  N.  Eastward  from  Boston  50  Miles. 

July  12,  Sunday.  Mr.  Talbot  Preached  at  Hampton  in  the  forenoon,  and 
I  Preach'd  there  in  the  Afternoon  on  Acts  26.  18. 

July  15,  Wednesday.     I  Preached  the  Lecture  there  on  the  same  Text. 

July  16,  Thursday.  We  went  to  the  Quakers  Meeting  at  Hampton, 
accompanied  with  Mr.  John  Cotton  the  Minister  of  the  Parish,  and  Mr. 
Cuslim  the  Minister  of  Salisbury  Parish,  and  very  many  Civil  People  of  both 
these  Parishes  came,  who  were  not  Quakers,  hoping  to  have  heard  some  fair 
Dispute  betwixt  the  Quakers  and  me.  At  the  Quakers  Meeting  there  we 
heard  two  Quaker  Preachers.  The  first  who  spoke  was  a  Ship  Carpenter 
from  Situate,  who  spoke  about  half  an  hour  or  more,  but  very  Ignorantly,  and 
most  grossly  perverting  several  Texts  of  Scripture,  particularly  Job.  17.  3.  and 
Mom.  1.  19.  which  he  brought  to  prove,  that  the  ignorant  People  (to  whom 
he  directed  his  Discourse)  as  he  accounted  them,  had  a  little  Babe  within 
them,  lying  in  a  Manger  under  the  Earth,  to  which  if  they  would  hearken, 
that  little  Babe  within  them  {meaning  by  thai  little  Babe,  the  Light  within 
them)  would  give  them  the  knowledge  of  God,  which  was  Life  Eternal.  He 
told  them  he  could  not  read  the  Scripture,  and  hoped  they  would  excuse 
him,  if  he  did  not  so  exactly  quote  the  Words.  After  him  the  other  Quaker 
Preacher,  who  came  from  Shrewsberry  in  JLast- Jersey,  began  and  continued 
Preaching  very  long,  above  two  Hours,  and  did  mightily  heat  himself;  he 
also  most  ignorantly  spoke  many  things,  and  grossly  perverted  and  misapplied 
many  Texts  of  Scripture,  to  prove  the  sufficiency  of  the  Light  within  to 
Salvation  (viz.  without  Scripture  or  any  thing  else.)  And  as  the  Quakers 
ordinary  way  is  in  their  Preaching  every  where,  they  have  a  set  of  Texts  of 
Scripture  which  they  commonly  bring  to  prove  the  sufficiency  of  the  Light 
within  to  Salvation  without  any  thing  else,  but  which  they  miserably  pervert 
and  misapply,  such  as  Job.  1.  9.  Job.  3.  19,  20.  Job.  12.  36.  Job.  16.  7,  8,  9, 
10,  11.  Rom.  10.  6,  7,  8.  2  Cor.  12.  9.  Titus  2.  11,  12.  Many  of  which 
Texts  and  others  he  did  grossly  pervert  and  misapply  to  prove  his  false 
Doctrine.  And  the  like  perversions  of  Scripture  he  used  against  Baptism,  and 
the  Lord's  Supper,  in  the  common  road  of  other  Quakers,  as  extant  in  their 
Printed  Books.  After  he  had  clone,  having  exceedingly  tired  and  wearied  all 
his  Hearers  who  were  not  Quakers,  I  offered  to  speak,  but  immediately  their 
Preachers  went  away  in  all  hast  after  I  began  to  speak,  though  I  earnestly 
entreated  them  to  stay ;  many  also  of  the  Quaker  hearers  went  away  with 
them,  but  some  stayed,  and  all  the  people  who  were  not  Quakers,  together 
with  the  two  New-England  Ministers  abovementioned,  did  stay,  and  heard  me 
about  the  space  of  an  hour  resume  and  refute  the  heads  of  the  Quaker 
Preachers  discourse,  and  rescue  the  Texts  of  Scripture  which  they  had  quoted 
from  their  gross  perversions  and   misapplications,  both  as   concerning   the 


George  KeitKs  Journal.  9 

Light  within,  and  the  Holy  Sacraments  of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper. 
But  the  day  being  very  hot,  and  the  House  not  large  enough  to  contain  the 
Auditory,  we  kept  the  Meeting  in  an  Orchard  joining  to  the  House,  where  we 
had  some  shade  of  Trees.  Among  the  Quakers  who  stayed  to  hear  me,  one 
or  two  endeavoured  to  interrupt  me  in  my  Discourse ;  but  a  noted  Quaker 
and  Preacher  of  good  repute  belonging  to  their  Meeting,  did  forbid  them  to 
make  any  interruption,  telling  them,  I  did  not  interrupt  their  Preachers,  and 
therefore  they  should  not  interrupt  me.  I  did  also  read  to  them  many  gross 
Antichristian  expressions  I  had  collected  out  of  the  Folio  Book  of  Edward 
Burroughs  (whom  the  Quakers  have  magnified  with  no  less  title  than  that  of 
a  Prophet,  in  their  Title  page  of  his  Folio  Book,  published  by  them  after  his 
decease)  and  I  told  them  if  tJ  y  were  willing  I  would  show  them  the  Passages 
in  the  Book  it  self.  To  this  the  abovementioned  Quaker  Preacher  replyed  to 
me,  I  needed  not  to  show  then,  to  him,  for  he  believed  the  Quotations  were 
truly  made,  and  that  there  were  great  Errors  in  their  Friend's  Books.  The 
same  Quaker  preacher  did  kindly  invite  us  to  his  House,  with  whom  I  had 
much  Discourse.  He  told  me  he  approved  very  well  of  what  he  had  heard 
me  discourse,  and  that  he  did  perceive  my  Doctrine  about  the  necessity  of 
Faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  in  order  to  Salvation,  was  the  same  he  had  formerly 
heard  me  declare  in  their  Meetings  when  I  was  anions  them  aboi*.  Tvelve 
i  ears  past.  Some  of  his  Neighbours  told  me,  his  manner  of  Preacrn  •  i  in  the 
Quakers  Meetings,  was  not  to  speak  much,  but  what  he  spoke  was  'rally 

no  other  than  the  express  words  of  Scripture,  without  his  n  ,  <:  any 
Commentary  or  gloss  on  them  ;  he  has  the  Character  of  a  sober,  >n  \,  >d 
very  charitable  Man  among  all  his  Neighbours,  his  Name  is  Thf  >s  67?  &,. 
At  this  same  Meeting  of  the  Quakers  at  Hampton,  one  of  ty  <  makers 
belonging  to  that  Meeting  did  boldly  affirm  to  me,  before  man ,  rVitnesses, 
that  the  Blood  of  Christ  that  was  outwardly  shed  upon  the  Cross  could  do 
him  no  good,  and  he  did  extremely  blame  me,  for  owning  to  Mr.  John  Cotton 
the  Minister  of  Hampton  Parish,  about  Twelve  Years  past,  that  we  were 
justified  and  sanctified  by  that  Blood  of  Christ's  Body  that  was  outwardly  rhed 
on  the  Cross,  and  did  earnestly  contend  that  the  Blood  of  Christ,  \  ere!  \  the 
faithful  are  said  in  Scripture  to  be  justified  and  sanctified,  was  bn&arvt  ou  \  ard 
Blood  of  Christ,  but  the  inward  Blood  of  the  Light  within  then.,  a*  f1  « j  Lad 
learned  from  George  Fox,  and  George  Whitehead,  and  other  Qi  il  r  /  uthors, 
in  their  Printed  Books,  whereof  I  have  given  a  large  and  f"H  ec>  nt,  in 
several  of  my  Printed  Narratives  at  London,  particularly  the  frst,  tail  i,  and 
fourth.  I  endeavoured  to  help  the  said  Quaker's  Understands  -  '  informing 
him,  that  by  our  being  justified  and  sanctified  by  the  Blood  o  rist,  that 
was  outwardly  shed,  was  not  meant  that  it  was  by  any  materia!  .  outward 
application  of  that  Blood  to  us,  but  by  the  Merit  of  our  blefc  .  1  S  viour's 
Passion  and  Death,  in  his  being  a  most  satisfactory  and  acceptable  Sacrifice  to 
God  for  our  Sins,  the  which  Sacrifice  required  that  his  Biood  should  be  shed  ; 
for  without  the  shedding  of  Blood,  there  could  be  no  remission  of  Sins;  and 
all  Men  who  had  remission  of  Sins  by  that  Blood,  it  was  by  a  true  and  live  J 
taith  in  that  Blood  ;  but  all  that  I  said  or  could  say  to  him  did  not  pre\;  :!( 
but  he  continued  strong  in  his  most  unchristian  assertion,  still  justifying  it, 
and  blaming  me  for  my  Christian  Doctrine.  This  with  all  the  other  Passages 
I  brought  both  from  their  Preachers  words,  then  spoke  by  them,  m&  quoted 


10  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

out  of  their  Books,  which  the  Quakers  present  did  not  contradict,  did  greatly 
satisfy  the  People  there,  who  were  not  Quakers,  that  the  Quakers  chief 
Authors  and  Preachers  were  guilty  of  most  unchristian  Principles,  repugrant 
to  the  Fundamentals  of  the  Christian  Faith ;  and  that  the  inferior  sort  aad 
received  their  gross  Errors  from  their  Leaders  Words  and  Writings. 

July  19,  Sunday.  Mr.  Talbot  Preached  at  Salisbury  in  the  Forenoon, 
and  I  Preached  there  in  the  Afternoon,  on  Philip.  2.  13,  where  we  hfid  a 
great  Auditory,  and  well  affected,  as  also  we  had  the  like  at  Hampton.  The 
occasion  of  our  having  so  great  an  Auditory  both  at  Hampton  and  at  Salis- 
bury was  this,  as  some  of  them  told  us,  that  they  had  been  inform'd  concern- 
ing us,  that  We  being  Ministers  of  the  Church  of  England,  ive  would  Prea:h 
down-right  Popery  to  our  Hearers :  But  (said  they)  we  came  the  rather  :o 
hear  you,  to  know  whether  we  could  hear  any  Popery  Preached  by  you  ;  but 
indeed,  (said  they  which  were  the  most  Judicious,  and  most  Ancient  among 
them,)  Praised  be  God  we  heard  no  Popish  Doctrine  Preached  by  any  of  yov^ 
but  good  sound  Protestant  Doctrine,  the  same  which  we  have  heard  ou  \ 
Ministers  of  New-England  Preach  to  us,  and  which  to  our  great  comfort  wi 
have  believed  these  Forty  Years  past,  and  we  still  continue  to  believe.  We 
replied,  we  were  very  glad  to  find  that  they  were  of  the  same  Faith  with  the 
Church  of  England,  in  these  great  Fundamentals  of  the  Christian  Religion. 

July  23,  1702.  We  came  to  the  Quakers  Meeting  at  Dover  (by  Piscata- 
way  River)  distant  from  Boston  North-Eastwards  about  Seventy  Miles,  where 
after  some  time  of  silence,  we  heard  their  Preacher,  who  was  a  Taylor,  and 
lived  in  the  Town  of  Dover :  He  did  not  speak  long,  but  exhorted  them  to 
keep  to  the  Foundation,  and  he  quoted  St.  PauVs  Words,  Another  Founda- 
tion can  no  Man  lay,  but  that  which  is  laid  already,  which  is  Jesus  Christ 
I  heard  him  patiently  till  he  had  done ;  and  after  he  had  done,  I  perceiving, 
by  the  sequel  of  his  discourse,  that  he  meant  nothing  else  by  Jesus  Christ 
being  the  Foundation,  but  the  light  within  them,  and  as  it  is  in  all  Men, 
according  to  their  common  Doctrine.  I  asked  him  what  he  meant  by  Jesus 
Christ  being  the  Foundation,  whether  the  Light  within  them  only,  or  the 
Man  Christ  Jesus,  who  was,  and  is,  both  God  and  Man  without  them,  and 
who  is  also  in  them  as  he  is  God,  and  is  in  all  Men  by  his  general 
Presence  and  Illumination,  and  is  in  all  the  Faithful  by  his  special 
Grace  and  Illumination  ?  But  to  this  he  would  give  no  positive 
answer.  But  seemed  greatly  surprized,  and  as  a  Man  astonished  at 
my  plain  Question  ;  for  I  found  he  had  no  other  notion  of  Jesus  Christ 
being  the  Foundation,  but  the  Light  within,  which  he  called  God,  and  said, 
God  was  Adam's  Teacher  the  first,  and  will  be  the  last ;  all  which  he 
applyed  to  the  Light  within,  as  it  is  in  all  Men,  Jews,  Turks,  and  Infidels,  the 
same  as  in  the  Quakers  by  their  plain  confession.  I  asked  him  again,  did  the 
light  within  him,  without  the  Scripture,  teach  him  that  Jesus  Christ  was 
Born  of  the  Virgin  Mary  ?  He  replyed  by  asking  me,  who  taught  Joseph 
that  Christ  was  to  be  Born  of  her  ?  I  answered  him,  an  Angel :  But  had  an 
Angel  taught  him  the  same  ?  He  said  the  Holy  Ghost  had  taught  him.  I 
again  asked  him,  had  the  Holy  Ghost  Taught  him  that  without  the  Scripture  ? 
To  this  he  quite  demurred,  and  was  at  a  stand,  until  a  Quaker  that  was  next  to 
him,  whispered  to  him  in  the  Ear,  and  bid  him  ask  me,  who  taught  Nebu- 
chadnezzar that  the  fourth  that  was  with  the  three  Children  in  the  fiery 


George  Keith? s  Journal.  11 

Furnace  was  like  the  Son  of  God  ?     I  answered  him,  that  case  was  Miraculous 
and   extraordinary,  which  he  could  not  pretend  unto ;    nor  do  the  Leaders 
among  the  Quakers  pretend,  that  the  Light  within  them,  without  Scripture, 
teaclk-tli  them  anything  of  Christ  as  he  was  outwardly  Born  of  a  Virgin,  or 
of  his  Death,  Burial,  and  Resurrection,  &c.  for  it  is  not  needful  (they  say)  to 
be  taught  them  by  the  Light  within  them,  and  yet  the  Light  within  them 
doth  sufficiently  teach  them  all  that  is  necessary  to  Salvation  without  any 
thing  i  fee  ;  which  plainly  proves  from  their  avowed  Principle,  that  they  do 
not   think    the   Faith   of  Christ's   Birth,   Death,  Burial,  Resurrection,   &c. 
necessary  to  their  Salvation;  but  even  this  again  is  contradicted  by  some  of 
'..  who  affirm  it  is  necessary  to  them  who  have  the  Scriptures,  to  have  that 
Faith,  and  to  such  not  to  have  it,  is  a  Damnable  Sin.     After  this  short 
Conference  with  him  he  went  away,  and  some  of  the  Quakers  with  him,  but 
many  stayed   behind,  both  Men  and  Women,  with  whom  we  had  much 
discourse,    wherein    they   generally   betrayed    their   horrid   ignorance,   and 
prejudice,  against  the  very  Fundamentals  of  Christianity.     One  of  them  did 
mightily  contend  against  me,  for  the  sufficiency  of  the  Light  within  every  Man 
to  Salvation,  without  any  thing  else,  and  charged  my  denial  of  his  Assertion 
to  be  Blasphemy  ;  for  (said  he)  the  Light  within  is  God,  and  God  could  do 
eviry  tiling,  and  can,  and  is  sufficient  to  save  us  without  any  thing  else.     I 
replyed  to  him,  there  were  several  things  God  could  not  do.     This  again  he 
charged  to  be  Blasphemy,  and  bid  me  give  him  one  Instance  of  any  one 
thing  he  could  not  do.     I  told  him,  I  could  give  him  diverse  Instances  ;  as 
that  he  could  not  Lie,  nor  be  the  Author  of  any  Sin,  to  which  he  assented. 
I  told  him   again,   as   God  could  not  Lie,  so  nor  could  he  contradict  his 
declared  will  and  purpose  plainly  delivered  to  us  in  the  holy  Scripture,  which 
was  to  save  us  by  Jesus  Christ,  who  died  for  us,  lThess.  5.  9.  and  therefore 
this  being  God's  revealed  Will  to  save  us  by  Jesus  Christ  who  died  for  us,  to 
save  us  without  Jesus  Christ  who  died  for  us,  would  contradict  God's  revealed 
Will  given  us  in  the  holy  Scripture  ;  this  Answer  did  quite  put  him  to  silence. 
After  I  had  thus  said,  one  Mrs.  Knight,  a  Quaker  belonging  to  their  Meeting, 
Qg  present,  (whose  Name  I  mention  to  her  Praise,  and  to  make  it  known, 
that  s<»me  among  the  Quakers  are  not  such  Infidels,  as  they  more  generally 
are,  though  all  of  them,  even  the  best,  are  involved  in  great  Errors)  signified 
her  good  liking  to  my  Answer,  and  said,  she  thought  that  I  would  give  that 
Answer  :  she  also  did  vindicate  my  Reputation  against  another  Quaker- Wo- 
man there  present,  who  said,  they  (viz.  the  Quakers)  had  no  good  opinion  of 
me,  when  I  was  formerly  among  them  in  that  Town,  about  Twelve  Years  past 
or  more.     I  am  sure,  said  Mrs.  Knight,  that  is  not  true ;  for  Friends  then  had 
a  very  good  Esteem  of  him,  and  particularly  so  I  had,  and  was  glad  that  by 
my  Husbands  Invitation,  he  came  and  Lodg'd  one  Night  at  our  House.    And 
while  we  were  discoursing  about  a  sinless  Perfection,  whether  it  was  attainable 
in  this  Life  ;  another  Quaker- AVoman  affirmed,  that  she  was  perfect  to  that 
degree,  that  she  had  not  any  Sin.     What  (said  I)  have  ye  no  sin,  neither 
actual  nor  original  ?     Was  ye  not  Born  with  original  sin  ?  nay,  (said  she)  I 
was  born  of  Holy  Parents,  and  I  knew  never  any  thing  but  Purity  and 
Holiness.     But,  said  I,  David  came  of  holy  Parents,  and  yet  he  said,  Psal. 
51.  5.   Behold  I  was  shapen  in  Iniquity,  and  in  Sin  did  my  Mother  conceive 
me.     Were  your  Parents  more  holy  than  David's  Parents  ?     To  this  she 


12  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections, 

answered,  what  David's  Parents  were  she  knew  not,  whether  holy  or  not,  but 
she  knew  her  Parents  that  they  were  holy.     And  this  is  the  very  Doctrine 
of  George  Fox  and  Edward  Burroughs,  in  their  Printed  Books,  that  the 
Children  of  holy  Parents  are  Born  without  all  defilement  of  Sin.     After  this 
Mr.  Talbot  produced  George  Fox's  Will  in  Print  (which  as  it  has  received 
several  Impressions  at  London,  so  it  hath  had  one  at  least  at  New-York  in 
America)  and  began  to  read  in  it,  how  George  Fox  left  his  Boots  and  Spurs, 
and  Clyster-pipe,  to  Thomas  Lower ;  by  which  Mr.  Talbot  did  infer,  that  it 
seemed  George  Fox  did  leave  them  as  holy  Relicks.     No,  said  she,  viz.  the 
above  mentioned  Woman  who  said  she  had  no  Sin,  they  have  been  silver 
Spurs,  for  she  had  seen  silver  Spurs,  and  the  Clyster-Pipe  was  a  Golden 
Pipe  :  To  this  I  replyed,  this  made  George  Fox  very  vain  and  Proud,  that  his 
Spurs  were  silver  Spurs  ;  this  was  a  great  reflexion  on  George  Fox,  to  say  he 
wore  silver  Spurs  ;  and  that  his  Clyster- Pipe  was  a  Golden  Pipe,  this  was  to 
render  him  very  Prodigal  indeed,  who  was  but  a  poor  Shoemaker  Journy- 
man  (whose  Master  I  knew)  before  he  became  the  Ring-leader  of  the  Quakers, 
that  no  less  would  serve  him  than  silver-Spurs ;  and  as  for  a  Golden  Clyster- 
Pipe,  I  never  heard  of  any  such  thing  before.     We  had  also  much  reasoning 
with  diverse  of  the  Quakers  in  that  Meeting,  concerning  the  Sacraments,  and 
particularly  that  of  Baptism.     The  chief  Person  that  did  undertake  to  dispute 
with  me  against  Baptism  with  Water,  was  a  Quaker  Justice  of  that  1  own, 
whose  Name  I  spare,  as  I  think  fit  generally  to  spare  their  names  (except 
where  I  can   say  something  to  their  commendation,  and  that  is  but  very 
seldom)    whereas    I   produced  Matth.  28.   19.  to   prove  that   our  Blessed 
Saviour  had  commanded  the  practice  of  Baptism  to  his  Apostles,  and  to  their 
Successors  to  administer  it  to  all  Proselytes  to  Christianity  to  the  end  of  the 
World :  To  this  he  replyed,  that  Water  was  not  mentioned,  and  that  the 
Baptism  that  Christ   there  commanded,  was   not   outward  Baptism  with 
Water,  but  inward  Baptism  with  the  Spirit.     I  asked  him  what  Teaching 
was  that,  which  Christ  commanded  there,  Matth.  28. 19,  20.     He  said,  it  was 
inward  Teaching ;  but  in  this  another  Quaker  presently  contradicted  him,  and 
said,  it  could  not  be  inward  Teaching  that  Christ  commanded  the  Apostles ; 
for  none  but  God,  and  Christ,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  could  Teach  inwardly ; 
but   the   Apostles   being   but   Men,   they   could   but   Teach   outwardly  ;  I 
commended  his  answer,  and  from  thence  I  inferred  against  them  both,  that  as 
the  Apostles  could  not  Teach  inwardly,  so  nor  could  they  Baptize  inwardly, 
the  latter  being  as  impossible  to  Men  to  do  as  the  former ;  and  therefore  the 
Baptism  that  Christ  commanded  the  Apostles  to  administer  was  outward 
Baptism  with  Water,  and  which  accordingly  they  performed  either  by  them- 
selves, or  by  appointing  others  to  do  it  by  the  Authority  they  had  from 
Christ.     This  is  but  a  hint  of  many  things  that  passed  in  discourse  betwixt  us, 
having  continued  with   them  for  many  hours.     After  we  came  out  of  the 
Meeting,  the  Quaker- Woman  who  boasted  so  much  of  her  sinless  Perfection, 
did  invite  us  to  her  House,  and  did  kindly  entertain  us  both  with  Victuals  and 
Drink,  and  offered  us  a  good  Bed  to  lodge  in,  it  being  late.     We  thanked  her 
for  her  Hospitality  and  proffer  to  lodge  us,  but  we  went  into  our  Boat  that 
waited  for  us,  and  went  down  the  River  that  Night  to  the  Town  called  Straw- 
berry-bank, and  lodged  there  at  an  Inn,  or  Public  House  of  Entertainment. 
Here  it  is  worthy  of  notice,  what  some  of  the  Neighbours  of  the  Quakers 


George  Keith's  Journal  13 

of  that  Town  did  inform  us  concerning  the  Quakers  there,  viz.  how  that 
sometime  after  Quakerism  had  got  entrance  into  that  Town,  and  they  had  set 
up  a  Quaker  Meeting  there,  the  Quakers  invited  their  Neighbours  to  come  to 
their  Meetings,  where  they  should  hear  excellent  Preachers,  who  should 
Preach  to  them  freely  without  any  Cost  or  Charge,  not  like  their  hireling 
Minister,  who  put  them  to  great  charge  to  maintain  him  :  Upon  this  Publica- 
tion, many  or  most  of  the  Parish  deserted  the  Minister,  and  frequented  the 
Quakers  Meetings.  But  not  long  after,  the  Contributions  that  the  Quakers 
gathered  in  their  Monthly  and  Quarterly  Meetings  for  the  Travelling  Friends 
of  the  Ministry,  were  so  frequent,  and  rose  so  high,  that  they  far  exceeded 
what  they  were  to  pay  their  Minister  as  the  Law  of  the  Country  required  ; 
whereupon  they  generally  concluded  to  desert  the  Quaker  Meetings,  and 
return  to  their  Minister;  for,  said  they,  if  this  be  the  way  of  it,  that  the 
upholding  the  Quakers  Ministers  that  come  among  us  be  so  chargeable,  far 
above  what  we  pay  to  the  Minister  of  the  Parish,  we  will  go  back  again  to  our 
own  Minister  Mr.  John  Pike,  and  accordingly  so  they  did,  and  continue  hearing 
their  own  Minister,  who  is  of  good  Fame  among  the  Neighbourhood,  and 
whom  we  intended  to  have  visited  at  his  House,  but  it  happened  that  he  was 
gone  abroad  ;  however  such  as  were  more  thoroughly  leavened  with 
Quakerism,  keeped  up  their  Meetings,  and  have  Built  a  Meeting-House  to 
themselves,  where  we  did  visit  them,  and  discourse  with  them  as  above- 
mentioned. 

July  25,  1702.  We  Arrived  at  Salem,  and  had  intended  to  have  visited 
the  Quakers  at  their  Meeting  there,  the  next  Day,  but  we  were  informed  that 
they  had  removed  their  Meeting  for  that  Day  from  Salem  to  another  Place, 
of  which  we  could  have  no  notice,  though  we  made  enquiry. 

July  28.  In  our  way  from  Salem  to  Boston,  as  we  stayed  some  Hours  at 
the  Ferry  by  Newberry,  I  had  much  discourse  with  a  sober  Carpenter  who 
was  a  Quaker,  his  Name  was  William  Clement.  He  did  readily  confess  to 
the  Fundamentals  of  the  Christian  Faith,  concerning  our  blessed  Saviour  ;  but 
had  some  dispute  with  me  about  Baptism,  and  by  the  Discourse  I  had  there 
with  him,  seemed  to  be  much  convinced  that  it  was  his  Duty  to  have  his 
Children  Baptized,  as  he  had  been  himself,  in  Infancy,  and  had  a  Resolution 
to  have  it  done. 

August  1.     We  returned  to  Boston. 

August  2,  Sunday.  I  Preached  again  at  the  Queen's  Chappel  there  on 
Philip.  2.  13. 

August  3,  1702.  I  set  out  from  Boston  accompanied  with  the  Reverend 
Mr.  Samuel  Myles,  one  of  the  Ministers  of  the  Church  of  England  Congrega- 
tion there,  and  we  arrived  at  Newport  in  Rhod- Island  the  next  day,  where 
we  were  kindly  received.  Mr.  Lochyer  the  Church  of  England  Minister  there 
and  diverse  others  of  the  Church  came  from  Newport  and  met  us  at  the 
Ferry,  and  conducted  us  to  the  Town,  and  place  of  our  Lodging.  Mr.  Talbot 
stayed  at  Boston  to  officiate  in  the  Church  there  for  Mr.  Myles,  until 
his  return. 

August  0.  I  went  to  the  Quakers  Meeting  at  New-port  on  Rhod-Island 
accompanied  with  Mr.  Myles,  Mr.  Lochyer,  and  many  People  belonging  to 
the  Church  there,  some  of  them  being  Justices  of  the  Peace,  to  wit,  Mr.  Carr, 
and  Mr.  Layton. 


14  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

After  one  of  their  Preachers  had  spoke  a  long  time,  and  came  to  i  *  end, 
having  perverted  many  Texts  of  Scripture,  to  prove  the  sufficiency  of  the 
Light  within,  the  inward  Teacher,  without  any  thing  else,  their  common 
Subject ;  and  though  they  do  not  so  very  frequently  say,  without  any  thing 
else,  yet  they  always  so  mean  it,  and  oft  so  express  it,  as  they  have  very  much 
of  late  both  in  their  Discourses  and  Books.  The  two  particular  Texts  of 
Scripture  which  he  greatly  perverted,  to  prove  the  Quakers  false  Notion  of  the 
sufficiency  of  the  Light  within  all  Men  to  Salvation,  without  any  thing  else, 
were  Job.  16.  8.  and  Titus  2.  11.  I  began  to  speak,  standing  up  in  a 
Gallery  opposite  to  the  Gallery  where  their  Teachers  were  placed,  who  were 
many  ;  having  intended  in  a  friendly  manner  to  inform  them,  how  their 
Speaker  had  misunderstood  and  misinterpreted  those,  and  other  Texts  of 
Scripture  ;  and  I  much  requested  them  to  hear  me  a  while  without  interrup- 
tion, as  I  had  heard  their  Preacher.  But  I  was  instantly  interrupted  by  them 
very  rudely,  and  they  were  very  abusive  to  me  with  their  ill-Language, 
calling  me  Apostate,  &c.  and  they  threatened  me  with  being  guilty  of  the 
breach  of  the  Act  of  Tolleration,  by  which  they  said  their  Meetings  were 
Authorized.  I  told  them  I  had  not  broken  the  Act  of  Tolleration ;  for  neither 
that  Act,  nor  any  Law  of  England,  did  forbid  a  Minister  of  the  Church  of 
England  to  speak  in  their  Meetings,  if  he  did  not  interrupt  them,  as  I  did 
not,  nor  did  I  intend  so  to  do.  And  they  who  made  the  interruption  were 
guilty  of  the  breach  of  that  Act,  and  not  I ;  though  upon  good  enquiry  it  will 
be  found,  the  Quakers  have  not  the  benefit  of  that  Act,  for  want  of  the 
Qualifications  of  their  Preachers  required  by  the  Act. 

Mr.  Myles  said  I  ought  to  be  heard,  I  being  a  Missionary  into  these 
American  parts,  by  the  Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel  in  Foreign 
Parts,  sent  on  purpose  to  endeavour  to  reduce  the  Quakers  from  their  Errors, 
the  which  Society  hath  a  Patent  from  the  Crown  of  England,  and  not  to  hear 
me,  nor  suffer  me  to  speak,  was  a  Contempt  of  Supream  Authority.  Some  of 
the  Quakers  having  said  that  Air.  Myles  affirmed  I  was  sent  by  the  Queen : 
I  told  them  I  had  no  immediate  Mission  from  the  Queen,  and  I  knew  not  that 
ever  the  Queen  (whom  God  Bless  and  Preserve)  had  heard  of  me.  But 
remotely  and  mediately  my  Mission  was  from  the  Queen,  it  being  from  the 
Honourable  Society,  who  had  a  Patent  from  the  Crown. 

After  this  I  applyed  my  self  to  their  Governour,  Col.  Cranston,  who  was 
there  present,  and  frequents  their  Meetings,  but  is  no  professed  Quaker ;  and 
I  said  to  him,  May  it  please  your  Honour  to  command  these  Men  not  to 
interrupt  me,  but  that  I  may  have  a  Peaceable  hearing  among  such  here 
present  who  are  desirous  to  hear  me,  as  indeed  many  such  were,  not  only  of 
the  Church  People,  but  of  Independents  and  Anabaptists,  as  well  as  diverse 
of  the  Quakers,  especially  the  Younger  sort  of  them.  These  modest  words 
of  mine  to  the  Governour  (who  is  chosen  by  the  People,  but  is  not  their 
Governour  by  the  Queen's  immediate  appointment)  some  Quakers  have  so 
wrested  and  falsified  in  Print,  that  they  have  affirmed  I  spoke  to  the 
Governour  in  a  commanding  way,  to  compel  the  Quakers  to  hear  me,  which 
were  neither  my  Words  nor  Sense ;  for  I  only  desired  him,  that  by  his 
Authoritv  I  might  not  be  interrupted :  And  if  I  be  interrupted,  it  behoved 
me  to  complain  to  the  Honourable  Society,  that  I  could  not  have  liberty  to 
speak  in  their  Meeting,  and  so,  what  in  them  lay,  to  frustrate  the  end  of  my 


George  Keith's  Journal.  15 

Mission.  For  where  could  I  have  opportunity  to  inform  them,  but  in  their 
Meetings  ?  Should  I  go  to  their  Houses,  they  would  not  let  me  come  into 
them.  The  Governour,  at  this,  went  away,  and  Civilly  said  to  me,  he  thought 
I  had  done  better,  to  have  stayed  till  they  had  done.  I  told  him,  then  they 
would  be  gone,  as  they  had  served  me  at  Lynn,  at  Hampton,  and  at  Dover. 
After  the  Governour  was  gone,  one  of  their  Speakers,  who  was  the  Deputy 
Governour,  and  had  been  formerly  their  chief  Governour,  took  out  of  his 
Pocket  a  Printed  abusive  Paper  full  of  Lies,  having  no  Name  to  it,  and  began 
to  read  it  in  the  Meeting,  on  purpose  to  drown  my  Voice,  that  I  might  not  be 
heard.  The  Title  of  it  was,  One  Wonder  more:  or  George  Keith  the  eighth 
Wonder  of  the  World,  Printed  at  London  several  Years  before.  Mr.  Myles 
said  it  was  an  Infamous  Libel,  without  a  Name  to  it,  and  it  was  a  shame  for 
such  a  man  as  he,  being  Lieutenant  Governour  in  the  Place,  to  read  such  an 
Infamous  Libel  against  any  Man,  on  purpose  vilely  to  defame  him. 

After  lie  had  done,  another  Quaker  Preacher,  who  had  been  formerly  their 
Governour,  began  to  Preach  ;  he  told  the  Auditory  he  had  read  the  Scriptures 
in  three  Languages,  but  neither  in  Latin,  Greek,  nor  Hebrew  :  but  first 
Literally,  secondly  Carnally,  thirdly  Spiritually.  He  said  the  Grace  [the 
Light  within  all  Men]  was  all-sufficient,  which  he  brought  as  a  Proof  for  its 
being  sufficient  to  Salvation,  without  Scripture,  or  Christ's  Blood  shed,  without 
us,  or  any  thing  else.  He  also  said,  it  was  to  as  little  purpose  to  Preach  to 
natural  Men,  or  for  natural  Men  to  read  the  Scriptures,  as  to  Four-Footed 
Beasts ;  whereby  he  not  only  condemned  the  Practice  of  the  Apostles,  who 
Preached  to  natural  Men,  as  Christ  commanded  them  ;  but  also  he  condemned 
the  Practice  of  the  Quaker  Preachers,  who  both  Preach,  and  write  Books  to 
natural  Men,  whom  they  call  the  World  in  order  to  Convert  them  to  Quaker- 
ism ;  all  this,  and  many  other  gross  falshoods  and  nonsensical  Words  he  there 
uttered.  And  yet  all  this  the  Quakers  swallow  down,  as  the  Infallible 
dictates  of  the  Light  within  them,  as  they  pretend  ;  for  as  George  Whitehead 
hath  affirmed  in  his  little  Book,  called,  The  Voice  of  Wisdom,  such  Ministers 
who  want  Infallibility,  and  speak  not  from  the  Infallible  Spirit,  are  no 
Ministers  of  Christ.  And  George  Fox,  in  his  great  Mystery,  calls  them, 
Thieves.  Witches,  Conjurers,  who  speak  or  write,  and  not  from  the  Infallible 
Spirit ;  surely  by  this  Quaker-test,  their  greatest  Authors  and  Leaders  are  no 
other,  whose  Discources  and  Books  are  full  of  notorious  falsehoods,  and 
contradictions  to  the  holy  Scriptures. 

At  last  the  first  Speaker  made  a  long  rambling  Prayer,  full  of  Tautoligies, 
and  vain  Repetitions,  and  presumptuous  Boastings,  as  their  manner  is,  after 
they  have  vented  forth  abundance  of  falshoods  in  their  Preachings,  running 
down  the  Scriptures  and  Sacraments,  and  the  Resurrection  of  the  Body  after 
Death,  and  other  great  Doctrines  of  the  Christian  Religion,  they  commonly 
conclude  with  their  Prayers,  Blessing  God  for  his  glorious  presence  among 
them,  and  his  mighty  power  that  has  been  with  them,  to  assist,  refresh,  and 
comfort  them,  to  which  the  Quaker  hearers  do  frequently  echo  to  them  with 
several  sorts  of  Hu minings  and  Sounds,  whereby  to  Seal  to  the  Truth  not 
only  of  the  Words,  but  of  the  mighty  Power  and  Life  that  has  attended  their 
Speakers.  But  while  they  utter  such  falshoods  and  contradictions  to  holy 
Scriptures,  as  also  such  uncharitable  Speeches  against  all  other  Communions 
and  ways  of  Worship,  and  Ministry,  but  their  own ;  it  is  impossible  that  they 


16  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

can  be  acted  by  any  divine  Life  or  Power  to  do  this  :  And  yet  some  Power 
more  than  ordinary  doth  frequently  Act  them,  in  their  Speakings,  and 
commonly  works  most  strongly  among  them,  when  they  are  vehemently 
running  down  the  necessity  of  the  Scriptures,  or  the  Sacraments,  and  Preach- 
ing up  the  sufficiency  of  the  Light  within  them  to  Salvation,  without  any  thing 
else,  as  I  have  oft  observed.  The  strong  impression  their  Speakings  in  their 
Meetings  frequently  have  (or  used  to  have  more  formerly  than  of  late)  upon 
their  Hearers  ;  manifestly  to  be  observed  by  the  visible  effects  of  it  upon  many 
of  them,  causing  them,  some  to  shed  Tears  in  plenty,  some  to  shake  and 
Quake,  some  to  utter  deep  Groans,  others  to  Sing;  sufficiently  prove  that 
some  Power,  more  than  ordinary,  doth  at  times  Act  them,  and  this  Power 
doth  at  times  Act  and  Operate  among  them,  and  in  them,  in  a  total  silence 
of  Words,  (as  well  as  when  they  utter  words)  in  their  Assemblies,  of  which 
they  glory  not  a  little.  The  most  tolerable  Construction  that  can  be  made  of 
this  Power,  what  it  is,  or  whence  it  proceeds,  seeing  it  can  be  no  Divine 
Power,  is,  that  it  is  some  strong  natural  Enthusiasm,  raised  by  heighth  of 
fancy,  and  exalted  imagination,  such  as  Mr.  Causabon  has  described  in  his 
Treatise  of  Enthusiasm.  But  then  it  must  needs  be  granted,  that  when  they 
are  Acted  so  furiously  and  outragiously,  to  contradict  the  plainest  Doctrines  of 
Christianity,  and  defame  and  reproach  Christ's  sacred  Institutions,  that  Satan 
acts  together  with  this  Power  of  Strong  Fancy  and  Imagination,  and  makes 
use  of  it,  as  its  Organ  and  Instrument,  or  Conduit  of  Conveyance.  For  it's 
hardly  to  be  conceived,  how  a  meer  natural  or  Animal  Power,  without  the 
influence  of  some  Diabolical  Spirit,  can  act  Men  with  such  zeal  and  industry 
to  Preach  and  Propagate  most  destructive  Errors  to  Mens  Perdition.  Seeing, 
according  to  Holy  Scripture,  the  Devil  is  the  Father  of  Lies ;  and  all  Damna- 
ble Doctrines,  are  the  Doctrines  of  Devils ;  of  which  they  have  a  great  many, 
as  their  Words  and  Books  plainly  shew.  Immediately  after  their  Prayers,  all 
their  Preachers  went  away,  and  many  of  the  Quaker  Hearers,  but  many  of 
them  also  stayed,  especially  the  Younger  sort,  both  Men  and  Women  ;  and 
generally  all  the  People  who  were  not  Quakers,  both  those  of  the  Church,  and 
those  called  Independents  and  Anabaptists  stayed.  I  told  their  Preachers,  as 
they  were  making  hast  to  be  gone,  it  was  a  shame  to  them  to  go  away,  and 
leave  so  many  of  their  Sheep  exposed  to  the  Wolf,  as  they  have  affirmed  me 
to  be,  but  I  thank  God  I  am  none  ;  but  by  their  own  Argument,  *by  their  so 
flying  and.  running  away,  do  not  they  prove  themselves  not  to  be  true 
Shepherds,  but  Hirelings  ? 

I  had  now  full  liberty  without  any  interruption  to  speak,  perceiving  the 
Auditory  generally  desirous  to  hear  me.  I  recollected  and  resumed  most  of 
the  heads  of  their  discourse,  such  as  I  could  remember,  and  the  Texts  of 
Scripture,  which  they  had  grossly  perverted  and  misapplied,  and  refuted  their 
Perversions  and  Falshoods  ;  and  thus  I  continued  some  considerable  time 
speaking  in  their  Meeting -House,  having  a  considerable  large  Auditory,  all 
very  attentive.  Before  I  had  made  an  end,  diverse  of  the  Quaker  Preachers 
returned,  and  stood  quietly  and  heard  me,  but  said  nothing,  neither  made 
they  any  offer  to  dispute  any  matter  with  me.  I  was  informed  by  some 
credible  Persons,  that  the  occasion  of  their  Preachers  returning  to  the 
Meeting,  while  I  was  speaking,  was,  that  some  Quaker  Zelot- Women  went  to 
their  Preachers,  and  told  them,  it  would  greatly  reflect  on  them,  to  absent 


George  Keith's  Journal.  17 

themselves  while  I  was  speaking  in  their  Mee ting-House,  and  might  expose 
the  Weak  Friends  to  be  deceived  by  me.  However  after  their  return,  they 
said  nothing,  but  suffered  me  to  proceed  in  speaking  as  long  as  I  thought 
fit ;  and  thus  our  Meeting  ended  Peaceably. 

The  Quakers  had  Built  a  new  Meeting-House  at  Newport,  large  enough  to 
hold  Five  Hundred  Persons,  or  more,  with  fair  and  large  Galleries,  and  Forms 
or  Benches  below.  But  one  thing  very  singular  I  observed,  that  on  the  Top 
of  the  Turret  of  their  Meeting-House,  they  have  a  perfect  Iron  Cross,  two 
large  Iron  Bars  crossing  one  the  other  at  right  Angles,  a  more  perfect  Cross 
I  never  saw  any  where  on  any  Church.  I  mention  this  the  rather,  because 
George  Fox,  in  some  of  his  Printed  Pamphlets,  makes  a  great  outcry  and 
noise  against  the  Steeple  Houses  in  England,  as  he  calls  them,  fur  having 
Crosses  on  the  Tops  of  them,  and  that  it  is  Popery ;  what  can  the  Quakers 
say  to  this  ?  Are  their  Brethren  of  Rhod-Island  guilty  of  Popery,  for  having 
the  Cross  on  the  top  of  their  Meeting-House,  which  I  suppose  remains  there 
to  this  day  ? 

August  9,  1702.  Sunday.  I  Preached  at  Newport  on  Rhod  Island,  my 
Text  was  Job.  1.  9.  and  I  had  a  very  numerous  Auditory,  not  only  of  the 
People  of  the  Town,  but  of  many  that  came  from  other  parts  of  the  Island 
with  a  desire  to  hear  me.  I  told  my  Auditory  after  I  had  concluded  my 
Sermon,  that  I  was  to  have  a  publick  Meeting  the  14th  Instant  at  the  Colony 
House  in  Newport,  to  detect  the  Quakers  Errors  out  of  the  Printed  Books  of 
their  chief  Authors,  and  that  I  had  obtained  leave  of  the  chief  Governour 
Collouel  Cranston  to  keep  the  Meeting  in  that  House ;  and  that  I  was  to  give 
notice  to  the  Quaker  Preachers  to  meet  me  there  about  the  first  Hour  after 
Noon,  if  they  thought  fit  to  defend  their  Principles  and  Authors. 

August  1 0.  I  sent  a  written  Paper  to  the  Quaker  Preachers  there,  to 
meet  me  at  the  Place  and  Time  abovementioned,  to  which  they  sent  me  their 
Answer  soon  after,  that  they  would  meet  me,  so  that  things  should  be  carried 
fairly,  and  each  Party  should  have  liberty  to  speak  an  Hour  without  interrup- 
tion, and  two  Moderators  should  be  chosen,  each  on  a  side,  to  keep  good 
order ;  to  which  I  consented,  though  I  told  them,  an  hour  at  once  was  too 
long,  yet  I  would  yield  to  their  Proposition,  rather  than  that  the  Meeting 
should  fail. 

August  14.  We  Met  about  the  first  Hour  after  Noon,  the  time  appointed : 
They  allowed  me  to  begin  my  Charge  against  them,  and  the  Hour  Glass  was 
turned  to  measure  the  time.  I  brought  with  me  George  Fox's  Book,  called 
the  Great  Mystery,  and  diverse  other  Quaker  Books,  viz.  Richard  Claridge 
his  Book,  called,  Lux  Evangelica  Attestata,  and  Mr.  Pen's  Book,  called, 
Primitive  Christianity.  I  spent  my  first  Hour  mostly  in  reading  to  them, 
and  to  the  Auditory,  which  were  some  Hundreds  of  People,  both  of  the 
Town  and  Country,  many  Quotations  out  of  George  Fox's  great  Mystery,  full 
of  most  dreadful  Errors  and  Heresies,  and  detecting  the  gross  absurdity  of 
them,  contradicting  the  Holy  Scriptures ;  and  in  the  conclusion,  before  my 
hour  was  quite  spent,  I  told  them,  I  was  to  expect  from  them  a  particular 
answer  to  each  Quotation  I  had  read  to  them,  and  I  proffered  to  them,  that  if 
they  questioned  my  true  Reading,  they  might  Read  them,  laying  the  Book 
open  before  them.  And  for  better  Method's  sake,  I  offered  to  Read  again  the 
quotations  to  them  singly  one  by  one,  aud  let  them  give  their  Answer  to  each 

2 


18  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

single  quotation,  whether  they  owned  them  to  be  according  to  their  Principles, 
yes,  or  no,  seeing  George  Fox  was  the  first  and  most  Authentic  Author 
among  them,  whom  the  Quakers  at  London  have  in  Print  called,  the  Apostle 
of  this  Age.  But  instead  of  any  such  performance  by  them,  to  the  great 
disappointment  of  all  the  Auditory  who  were  not  Quakers,  nor  Quakerly 
affected,  such  as  the  far  greatest  part  of  the  Auditory  was  not,  they  gave  not 
the  least  Answer  directly,  or  indirectly,  to  any  one  of  the  quotations  I  had 
read  to  them,  nor  gave  they  any  reason  of  excuse  why  they  declined  to  give 
any  Answer  to  them.  But  as  they  had  projected  it  before  hand,  one  of  chief 
Note  among  their  Speakers,  viz  the  Deputy  Governour  abovementioned,  did 
read  to  the  Auditory,  the  Printed  sheet,  called,  the  Christianity  of  the  People 
called  Quakers,  &c.  and  after  that  was  fully  read,  he  read  one  or  two  other 
scurrilous  Libels,  having  no  Name  to  them,  that  some  Quakers  had  Printed 
against  me,  about  the  Year  1*700,  when  I  joined  to  the  Church  of  England, 
one  of  which  was  that  abovementioned,  called,  One  Wonder  more :  or  George 
Keith  the  eighth  Wonder  of  the  World.  Having  thus  spent  their  Hour,  all 
their  Speakers  rose  up  to  be  gone,  pretending  the  Agreement  was  but  for  two 
Hours  in  all,  which  I  denied ;  and  the  Moderator  chosen  by  them,  to  whom 
I  appealed,  gave  it  against  them,  that  the  time  was  not  limited  to  two  Hours 
in  all,  but  to  one  Hour  to  one  side  at  a  time. 

So  I  began  my  second  Hour,  and  I  first  shewed  how  unfair  and  unreason- 
able they  were,  to  give  no  Answer  to  my  Charges  I  had  given  out  of  George 
Fox,  and  other  approved  Authors,  with  whom  they  pretend  to  be  one  in 
Doctrine,  and  that  they  are  not  varied  in  a  tittle  from  their  first  Principles ; 
but  as  God  is  the  same,  and  the  Truth  is  the  same,  so  his  People  (the 
Quakers)  are  the  same  ;  so  one  of  their  approved  Authors  has  lately  Printed 
in  his  Book  at  London  ;  after  this  I  proceeded  to  reply  to  what  was  L  to  be 
said,  to  those  Printed  Libels,  their  chief  Speaker  had  read  against  me.  And 
first,  as  to  the  Printed  sheet,  called,  The  Christianity  of  the  People  called 
Quakers,  asserted  (as  they  say)  by  George  Keith ;  which  is  a  deceitful 
contrivance  of  the  Quakers,  as  if  I  had  composed  that  sheet  in  form  and 
manner  as  it  is  there  Printed,  which  is  altogether  false.  The  sheet,  I  grant, 
contains  some  quotations,  collected  by  the  Quakers  out  of  my  former  Books 
many  Years  ago,  when  I  was  among  them  ;  all  which,  so  far  as  they  were 
contrary  to  sound  Doctrine  contained  in  the  holy  Scripture,  I  had  in  Print 
retracted  several  Years  ago  ;  and  therefore  they  did  not  now  affect  me. 
Though  none  of  those  quotations,  however  erroneous,  contradict  the  Founda- 
tion of  the  Christian  Faith,  concerning  our  Blessed  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  his 
Person,  and  twofold  Nature,  and  Offices  of  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King,  and  the 
necessity  of  Faith  in  him,  as  he  outwardly  came  in  the  Flesh,  died  for  our 
Sins,  and  rose  again,  &c.  in  order  to  Mens  Salvation.  Whereas  the  System 
of  Quakerism,  set  forth  in  George  Fox's  great  Mystery,  and  other  Quaker 
Authors,  is  a  point  blank  contradiction  to  this  Faith. 

Next,  As  to  their  Printed  Libel,  called,  One  Wonder  more,  &c.  having  no 
Name  to  it  of  any  Person  or  People,  I  was  not  obliged  to  take  notice  of  it ; 
and  it  contained  several  notorious  falshoods,  as  that  1  had  said,  in  the  Book 
called,  Help  in  time  of  Need,  that  I  had  taken  the  Scots  League  and  Cove- 
nant, and  that  Libeller  positively  charges  me  with  having  taken  it,  both 
which  are  utterly  false  ;  for  1  being  Born  in  the  Year  1638, 1  was  not  capable 


George  Keith's  Journal.  19 

of  taking  it,  when  it  was  given,  viz.  about  the  Year  1043,  by  reason  of  my 
non-age,  and  it  was  never  given  in  a  National  way  since,  in  Scotland,  that  I 
know  of:  Again,  that  Libeller  falsely  accuseth  me  that  I  had  said,  I  was  not 
changed  in  my  Perswasion  in  any  thing  since  I  had  left  the  Quakers,  from 
what  I  had,  when  among  them.  For,  on  the  contrary,  I  have  owned  in  Print 
that  I  was  changed  in  my  Perswasion  and  Judgment  in  several  things,  and 
had  Printed  a  Book  of  Retractation  of  many  Errors  I  had  been  in,  whilst  I 
was  among  them.  But,  I  thank  God,  I  never  had  the  worst  of  their  Errors, 
nor  any  (that  I  can  remember)  that  contradicted  the  necessity  of  Faith  in 
Christ  Jesus,  who  is  both  God  and  Man,  in  order  to  Mens  Salvation,  to  which 
the  Quakers  Fundamental  Principle,  that  the  Light  within  them  is  sufficient 
to  Salvation  without  any  thing  else,  is  a  perfect  contradiction.  This  vile 
Antichristian  notion  that  sets  up  Deism,  and  overturns  the  Christian  Faith,  I 
never  had,  and  I  challenge  my  greatest  Adversaries  to  prove  it  against  me. 
Let  the  Quakers  Retract  and  Renounce  their  Errors,  as  I  have  done  mine,  to 
God's  Praise,  who  has  so  enabled  me,  and  I  shall  no  more  charge  them 
•therewith.  And  whereas  they  had  upbraided  me  with  my  changing,  I  told 
them  many  Quakers  had  made  as  great  changes  as  I  had,  and  particularly 
Richard  Claridge,  now  a  great  Author  among  them,  who  was  first  an 
Episcopal  Preacher,  then  an  Anabaptist  Preacher,  and  now  a  Quaker 
Preacher. 

After  I  had  thus  replyed  to  their  malicious  Libels  Read  against  me,  I 
proceeded  to  read  diverse  other  Quotations  out  of  Richard  Claridge's  Lux 
Evangelica,  and  Mr.  Pen's  Primitive  Christianity,  and  so  continued  detecting 
the  gross  absurdity  of  their  assertions,  till  my  second  Hour  was  almost  spent ; 
and  I  renewed  my  demand  to  them,  to  give  their  Answer  to  what  I  had 
further  both  read  and  said  in  my  second  Hour. 

But  nothing  did  they  say,  to  any  one  thing  I  had  said  ;  but  after  a  long 
time  of  silence,  they  began  to  Preach,  one  after  another,  after  their  common 
way,  intermixing  therewith  false  accusations  against  me,  that  I  did  pervert 
their  Friends  Words,  and  charged  them  falsely,  but  did  not  give  one  Instance 
to  prove  I  had  done  so.  And  after  they  had  continued  their  second  Hour, 
Preaching  and  Railing  against  me,  they  went  away. 

Before  the  People  that  were  not  Quakers  went  away,  I  told  them,  I  pur- 
posed to  have  another  publick  Meeting  in  the  same  place  the  17th  Instant,  to 
begin  about  Eight  a  Clock  in  the  forenoon,  to  detect  the  Quakers  great 
Errors,  particularly  in  their  rejecting  the  Divine  Institutions  of  Baptism  and 
the  Lord's  Supper ;  and  of  this  I  gave  notice  to  the  Quaker  Preachers, 
desiring  them  to  come  and  defend  themselves  if  they  could,  they  should  have 
a  fair  hearing ;  but  not  one  of  them  came.  However  many  People  of  the 
Town  came,  both  Church  People  and  Dissenters,  who  (with  great  attention 
and  satisfaction)  heard  me  prove  the  Divine  Institution  of  both  Baptism  and 
the  Lord's  Supper,  and  refute  the  Quakers  Idle  and  absurd  evasions  and 
glosses,  whereby  they  use  to  pervert  the  plain  Texts  of  Scripture  upon  those 
heads,  as  they  do  upon  all  others  controverted  by  them. 

And  here  I  think  fit  to  give  a  List,  or  Catalogue,  of  the  chief  and  most 
scandalous  quotations  I  did  read  to  the  Quakers  and  Auditory  present,  at  the 
abovesaid  Meeting  at  Newport  on  Rhod-Island,  out  of  George  Fox  his  Great 
Mystery,  Richard  Claridge  his  Lux  Evang.  attest,  and  Mr.  Pen's  Primitive 
Christianity. 


20  Protestant  Episcojial  Historical  Collections. 

The  Quotations  out  of  George  Fox's  Great  Mystery,  &c. 

I.  Pag.  246.     Christ,  God  and  Man,  Flesh  and  Spirit,  is  in  the  Quakers. 

II.  Pag.  149.     Whole  Christ,  God  and  Man,  is  in  Men. 

III.  Pag.  211.  Christ  is  not  absent  from  his  Church,  as  touching  his 
Flesh. 

IV.  Pag.  322.     The  Flesh  of  Christ  is  in  them,  because  they  Eat  it. 
:  V.  Pag.  322.     The  Flesh  of  Christ  came  down  from  above. 

VI.  Pag.  250.  And  the  Devil  was  in  thee,  and  thou  saith,  thou  art 
saved  by  Christ  without  thee,  and  so  hast  recorded  thy  self  to  be  a 
Reprobate. 

VII.  Pag.  246.  He  Quotes  Isai.  9.  6.  to  prove,  that  God  the  Father  took 
upon  him  Man's  Nature. 

VIII.  Page  9.  He  will  not  allow,  that  Christ  is  to  come  to  Judgment 
without  us,  at  the  end  of  the  World ;  but  saith,  Christ  is  come  to  Judgment 
and  he  blames  his  Opponent,  for  having  any  such  expectation  ; — who  are  come 
to  Christ  the  Light,  the  Life,  they  need  not  go  forth,  viz.  to  look  for  a  Christ 
without  them. 

IX.  Page  350.  The  Scriptures  are  not  the  means,  nor  the  Rule  of  Faith. 
The  means  of  Salvation  is  not  ordinary,  nor  outwTard. 

X.  Pag.  302.     The  Spirit  is  the  Rule,  saith  Christ. 

XI.  Page  229.  He  blames  the  Ministers  of  New-Castle,  and  saith,  they 
are  not  fit  to  be  Ministers  who  know  not  the  State  of  Souls  from  Eternity  to 
Eternity. 

XII.  Page  281,  and  318.  He  pleads  for  a  Perfection  in  fulness,  above 
any  degree,  before  the  death  of  the  Body ;  and  saith,  he  witnessed  it.  And 
pag.  282,  197.  He  pleads  for  a  Perfection,  as  God  is  Perfect,  in  equality 
and  not  in  quality  only.     Like  to  this  is  what  he  saith  to  his  Opponent. 

Pag.  67.  Again  :  Thou  makest  a  great  pudder,  that  any  one  should  witness 
he  is  equal  with  God.  And  in  his  Answer  he  proves  his  equality  with  God 
against  his  Opponent,  from  the   Westminster  Catechism. 

Pag.  127.  He  giveth  the  same  Proof  that  he  is  equal  with  God,  from  the 
Assemblies  Catechism  made  at  Westminster ;  his  Opponent  being  some 
Presbyterian  or  Independent,  who  owned  that  Catechism :  But  that  Catechism 
doth  not  say,  that  George  Fox,  or  any  meer  Man,  was  equal  with  God  ;  but 
that  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  are  equal  with  God  the  Father  ;  which  is 
orthodox  Doctrine.  But  the  Mystery  of  George  Fotfs  Argument  did  conflict 
in  this,  that  he  was  the  Son,  and  consequently  he  was  equal  with  God.  The 
dispute  betwixt  him  and  his  Opponent,  was  not,  whether  the  Son,  viz.  the 
second  Person  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  was  equal  with  God  the  Father,  for  his 
Opponent  owned  that. 

XIII.  Pag.  73.     None  can  know  Christ  by  the  Scriptures. 

Pag.  168.  Them  thafc  never  heard  the  Scripture  outwardly,  the  Light 
that  every  Man  hath  that  cometh  into  the  World,  being  turned  to  it,  with  that 
they  will  see  Christ,  with  that  they  will  know  Scripture,  with  that  they  will 
be  led  out  of  all  delusions,  come  into  Covenant  with  God,  with  which  they 
will  come  to  Worship  God  in  the  Spirit,  and  serve  him. 

Pag.  47.  The  Light  in  Men  sufficient  to  Salvation,  without  the  help  of 
any  other  means  or  discovery. 

XIV.  The  Quakers  are  the  only  Ministers  of  Christ,  since  the  Apostles  days. 


George  KeitKs  Journal.  21 

The  Quotations  I  did  then  read  out  of  a  Book  of  Richard  Claridge,  called 
Lux  Evangelica  attcstata. 

I.  Pag.  17,  18,  19.  He  saith  God  doth  afford  to  all  Men,  even  in  the 
ordinary  way  of  his  Providence,  such  a  manifestation  of  his  Light  or  Spirit,  as 
is  sufficient  to  lead  and  Guide  the  Faithful  into  all  truth  necessary  to  Salva- 
tion, without  Scripture.  Note,  by  Faithful,  he  means  Faithful  to  the  Light 
within  them,  who  have  not  the  Scripture. 

II.  Pag.  49.  Faith  in  Christ,  as  outwardly,  (he  saith)  is  no  essential  part 
of  the  Christian  Religion. 

III.  Pag.  26.  He  denies  that  Christ's  Body  is  the  same  in  Substance  he 
had  on  Earth. 

IV.  Pag.  90.  He  justifies  that  Assertion  of  Mr.  Pen,  in  his  Preface  to 
Mr.  Barclaye's  Folio  Book,  pag.  86.     Oh  Friends!  great  is  the  Mystery  of 

Godliness,  God  manifest  in  the  Flesh ;  and  if  that  be  a  Mystery,  how 

much  more  is  the  Work  of  Regeneration  a  Mystery,  that  is  wholly  inward 
and  Spiritual.  And  to  confirm  it,  the  said  R.  C.  calls  Christ  within  the 
Mystery  of  that  Mystery,  viz.  of  Christ  without. 

The  Quotations  I  did  then  read  out  of  Mr.  Pen's  Primitive  Christianity. 

I.  Pag.  30.  Concerning  the  Light  within  all  Men,  he  saith  :  If  it  reveal 
God,  (which  he  affirms  from  Rom.  2.  ver.  7,  to  17.  in  pag.  73,  74.)  to  be  sure 
it  manifests  Christ. 

II.  Page  50,  to  55.  The  Heathens  have  the  same  Light  in  them,  that  true 
Christians  have. 

III.  Pag.  78.  All  Religion  is  but  one  in  the  many  modes  and  shapes  of 
it :  if  Men  be  obedient  to  the  Light  within.  Note,  this  takes  away'all  real 
and  substantial  distinction  betwixt  Deism,  and  Christianity,  and  betwixt 
natural  and  revealed  Religion. 

August  16,  Sunday.  I  Preached  in  the  Church  at  Newport  on  Rhod- 
Island,  on  Acts  26.  18.  having  Preached  on  the  same  Text,  the  Wednesday 
foregoing,  in  the  same  plaae. 

August  24.  Being  the  Tenth  Day  after  the  Conference  I  had  with  the 
Quakers  at  Newport  on  Rhod-Island,  a  Quaker  Preacher  Woman,  living  at 
Newport,  who  has  been  a  Speaker  in  the  Quakers  Meeting  upwards  of  Forty 
Years,  writ  a  long  Letter  to  me,  which  I  have  by  me,  where,  after  diverse 
severe  Charges  against  me,  in  meer  generals,  she  blames  me  for  saying  to  the 
Quaker  Preachers  at  Portsmouth,  which  is  at  the  other  end  of  the  Island, 
where  I  went  to  visit  them,  at  their  Meeting  there  August  the  13  th,  that  they 
did  not  Preach  Christ  enough,  as  he  was  outwardly  Crucified  and  lifted  up 
on  the  Tree  of  the  Cross  ;  and  whereas  I  had  said  unto  them,  that  they  should 
direct  their  Hearers,  to  look  by  Faith  to  Christ,  as  he  was  Crucified,  and 
lifted  up  on  the  Tree  of  the  Cross,  in  order  to  be  spiritually  healed,  as  the 
Israelites  in  the  Wilderness  were  directed  by  Moses  to  look  to  the  Brasen 
Serpent,  to  be  healed  Bodily,  after  they  were  bit  by  Serpents  there,  for  which 
I  had  quoted  Job.  3.  14.  This  most  ignorant  Woman  Preacher,  in  her  said 
Letter  to  me,  denies  that  the  lifting  up  of  Christ  in  Job.  3.  14,  is  to  be  meant 
of  his  lifting  up  on  the  Tree  of  the  Cross,  or  that  People  should  be  directed 
to  him  for  healing,  as  he  was  there  lifted  up. 

To  overthrow  my  assertion  she  gives  diverse  Reasons. 

I.  That  lifting  up,  Job.  3.  14.  is  the  same  with  that  whereof  he  said,  I, 


22  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

when  I  am  lifted  up,  will  draw  all  Men  after  me :  but  that  was  not  his  lifting 
up  on  the  Cross. 

IL  The  Enemies  of  God,  did  lift  him  upon  the  Tree,  <fec. 

III.  He  is  not  now  upon  the  Tree,  nor  did  he  long  stay  there. 

IV.  It  would  be  a  great  fallacy,  and  known  Error,  for  any  to  Preach  to 
People,  that  they  should  look  for  him  upon  the  Tree,  seeing  he  is  not  there, 
but  risen. 

Some  time  after  I  received  her  Letter,  I  writ  an  answer  to  her,  and 
laboured  therein  to  convince  her  of  her  gross  ignorance,  as  well  as  of  perverting 
both  my  Words  and  Sense,  as  if  what  I  had  said  to  the  Quaker  Preachers  at 
Portsmouth,  where  she  was  present,  that  they  were  to  Preach  to  People,  to 
direct  them  to  look  to  Christ  for  healing,  as  he  was  lifted  up  on  the  Tree,  did 
purport,  that  they  were  to  go  on  Foot  to  Jerusalem,  to  look  to  him  with  their 
Bodily  Eyes,  than  which  there  could  be  no  greater  perversion  of  Words. 
And  if  this  be  not  a  wilful  perversion  in  her,  she  is  most  extreamly  ignorant, 
to  think  that  there  can  be  no  looking  to  Christ,  as  he  suffered  on  the  Tree  of 
the  Cross,  but  by  the  bodily  sight,  seeing  it  is  very  common  in  Scripture,  to 
express  Faith  in  God  and  in  Christ  by  looking  to  him. 

And  her  pretended  Argument  from  Job.  11.  32.  is  most  evidently  against 
her,  for  that  his  lifting  up,  Job.  12.  32.  is  to  be  understood,  his  lifting  up  on 
the  Tree,  whereon  he  was  Crucified,  is  clear  from  V.  33*.  This  he  said, 
signifying  what  manner  of  Death  he  should  Die.  She  was  so  mightily 
pleased  with  her  Letter  to  me,  that  lest  it  should  miscarry,  some  Months  after 
I  received  it  in  Pensilvania,  she  sent  me  a  duplicate  of  it,  as  if  it  had  been 
some  Jewel. 

This  Letter  of  hers  is  a  fresh  Instance,  beside  many  more,  to  prove  that  the 
Quakers  have  no  real  devout  regard  to  Christ,  as  he  suffered  Death  for  our 
Sins,  and  rose  again  without  us,  <fec.  in  order  to  our  Salvation,  as  the 
necessary  object  of  Faith.  They  do  commonly  say,  they  believe  all  that  is 
written  of  Christ,  his  Birth  of  the  Virgin,  his  Life,  "Miracles,  Death,  Burial, 
Resurrection,  Ascension,  &c.  But  the  fallacy  lies  here,  that  all  this  Faith 
(they  say)  is  but  Historical,  and  not  the  saving  Faith  ;  they  believe  it  as  they 
believe  any  other  History,  but  they  think  it  not  necessary  to  Salvation,  and 
that  because  it  is  necessary,  it  is  to  be  Preached  ;  nay,  George  Whitehead 
a  great  Author  among  them,  hath  said  in  his  Book,  called,  Light  and  Life, 
That  to  confide  in  Christ  without  us,  is  contrary  to  Deut.  30,  and  Horn.  10. 
And  the  like  he  saith  in  Truth  defending.  And  as  plainly  as  any  of  them, 
Mr.  Pen  hath  declared  himself,  Quakerism  a  new  nickname,  &c.  pag.  6. 
Faith  (saith  he)  in  the  History  of  Christ's  outward  manifestation  is  a  deadly 
Poison  these  latter  Ages  have  been  inflicted  with  to  the  destruction  of  godly  living. 

August  23,  Sunday.  I  Preached  at  Naraganset,  (that  lyes  on  the  Conti- 
nent, but  is  not  far  from  Rhod-Island)  at  the  House  of  Mr.  Opdyke's  where  I 
had  a  considerable  Auditory,  my  Text  was  Titus  2.  11.  The  People  there 
are  very  desirous,  that  a  Church  of  England  Minister  be  sent  to  them. 

August  27.  I  Preached  at  Little  Compton,  alias  Scaconot,  that  lyes  on 
the  Continent  also,  not  far  from  the  Island,  at  the  House  of  Henry  Head, 
where  I  had  a  large  Auditory;  my  Text  was  Jer.  31.  33.  They  are  there 
also  very  desirous,  that  a  Minister  be  sent  to  them.  Mr.  Lockyer  went  a  long 
with  me,  and  read  the  Prayers  at  both  Places. 


George  Keith's  Journal.  23 

August  30,  1702.  Sunday.  Being  accompanied  with  Mr.  Lochycr,  we 
crossed  the  Ferry  at  Portsmouth  in  the  Morning,  in  order  to  be  at  Swansey, 
on  the  Continent,  to  Preach  there,  as  accordingly  I  did;  Mr.  Lockyer  read  the 
Prayers ;  there  was  a  large  Auditory.  My  Text  was  1  llicss.  1.  5.  They 
greatly  desire  a  Minister  to  be  sent  unto  them. 

As  we  were  crossing  the  Ferry  at  Portsmouth  on  Rhod-hland,  by  the 
good  Providence  of  God  we  escaped  a  great  danger ;  we  had  essayed  to  cross 
the  Ferry  the  Day  before,  but  the  Wind  was  so  strong,  it  was  not  safe  to  try 
it,  hoping  the  next  day  would  be  more  Calm  ;  but  the  Wind  little  abated  the 
next  clay,  so  that  both  Wind,  and  Sea,  were  very  boisterous ;  when  we  were 
about  half  over  the  Ferry  (that  is  of  a  considerable  breadth)  our  Mast  and 
Sail  were  beat  down  by  the  Wind,  the  Mast  at  its  fall,  touched  gently  my 
shoulder,  and  did  me  no  harm  ;  we  had  no  ability  to  get  up  our  Sail  again, 
there  being  but  one  Negroe  Man  to  manage  the  Boat,  and  we  were  in  all 
three  Passengers,  and  having  three  Horses  in  the  Boat.  So  for  some  time  we 
remained  there  much  tossed  by  the  Waves  of  the  Sea,  and  were  in  danger  to 
be  driven  out  to  the  Sea  and  overwhelmed.  After  some  time  a  Boat  came 
off  from  Land  to  help  us,  and  to  Tow  us  to  Land.  But  the  Rope  they  gave 
us  broke,  and  the  Rope  we  gave  them  did  also  break,  and  so  we  were  left 
helpless.  But  a  Quaker  of  my  former  acquaintance,  whose  Name  is  John 
Burden,  who  had  also  a  Ferry-Boat,  came  with  all  Speed  in  his  Boat  to 
relieve  us,  and  Towed  us  to  Land,  having  several  able  Men  with  him  in  the 
Boat,  to  manage  her.  After  we  landed,  I  offered  Money  to  his  Men,  but  he 
would  not  permit  them  to  receive  any.  I  thanked  him  very  kindly  for  his 
help  in  our  great  Danger,  and  said  to  him,  John,  ye  have  been  a  means  under 
God  to  save  our  natural  Life,  suffer  me  to  be  a  means  under  God  to  save  your 
Soul,  by  good  information  to  bring  you  out  of  your  dangerous  Errors.  He 
replyed,  George,  save  thy  own  Soul,  I  have  no  need  of  thy  help  ;  then,  said 
I,  I  will  pray  for  your  Conversion  ;  he  replyed,  the  Prayers  of  the  Wicked  are 
an  abomination  ;  so  uncharitable  was  he  in  his  opinion  concerning  me,  (as 
they  generally  are,  concerning  all  who  differ  from  them)  though  Charitable  in 
this  action. 

The  next  Day,  we  crossed  the  Ferry  in  his  Boat :  After  our  landing  he 
entertained  us  civilly  at  his  House,  with  whom  I  had  much  Discourse,  and  I 
laboured  much  to  inform  him,  how  that  the  Quakers  Principle,  that  the  Light 
within  every  Man  was  sufficient  to  Salva'tiqn  without  any  thing  else,  did 
plainly  overthrow  the  Christian  Faith,  and  set  up  meer  Deism  or  Heathenism 
in  the  room  of  Christianity.  But  I  could  not  prevail  to  convince  him.  He 
had  a  great  many  of  the  Quakers  Printed  Books  lying  in  a  Window  in  his 
House,  which  I  looked  upon,  and  asked  him  that  he  would  sell  them  to  me, 
for  they  would  be  useful  to  me  in  that  Country ;  but  he  earnestly  refused,  and 
said,  I  should  not  have  them,  though  I  should  give  double  Money  for  them  : 
Why,  said  I  ?  Because  (said  he)  thou  wilt  do  Mischief  with  them  ;  he  meant, 
that  I  would  expose  the  Quakers  Principles,  and  make  them  known,  what  they 
are,  out  of  their  own  Books  ;  which  the  Quakers  are  loath  should  be  known, 
and  therefore  when  Quotations  are  produced  out  of  their  Books,  though  ever 
so  fairly  Quoted,  they  use  confidently  to  deny,  there  are  any  such  in  their 
Books,  when  the  Books  are  not  present  to  lay  before  them. 

September  6,  1702.     Sunday!     I  Preached  again  at  Newport  on  Rhod- 


24  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

Island,  on  Job.  12.  36.  Mr.  Talbot  also  Preached  there  several  times,  and 
commonly  wherever  we  Travelled,  the  one  of  us  Preached  in  the  Fore-noon 
on  the  Sundays,  and  the  other  in  the  After-noon,  except  when  the  days  were 
short,  that  there  was  no  Sermon  usual  in  the  Afternoon  ;  and  sometimes,  for 
the  greater  Service  in  diverse  places,  one  Preached  in  one  part,  and  one  in 
another,  at  the  same  time. 

The  time  that  we  remained  at  Newport,  on  Rhod-Island,  Mr.  Carr,  and 
Mr.  Laiton,  Inhabitants  on  the  Island,  both  of  them  of  the  Church  of  England, 
and  of  good  repute  among  their  Neighbours,  shewed  us  several  Commissions 
in  writing,  given  to  them,  by  Quaker  Governours,  with  their  Hands  and  Seals 
affixed,  Commissionating  them  to  be  Military  Officers,  to  fight  against  the 
Indians,  and  French,  in  the  times  of  the  several  Wars  the  English  had  with 
them  ;  to  Kill  and  destroy  their  Enemies.  The  Quaker  Governours  Names, 
who  gave  these  Commissions  to  several,  to  be  Military  Officers  in  the  Quaker 
Government,  whose  Commissions  in  the  Original  Signed  and  Sealed  by  them, 
we  saw,  and  read,  are,  1.  William  Coddington.  2.  Walter  Clark.  3.  John 
Eston.  4.  Henry  Bull,  all  Preachers  but  the  first ;  Walter  Clark,  and  John 
Eston,  were  alive  when  we  were  there,  and  I  suppose  still  are  alive,  the  other 
two  were  dead ;  true  Copies  of  which  Commissions,  are  now  in  the  Custody 
of  a  Person  of  Quality  in  England,  and  can  be  produced  if  occasion  require  it. 
This  I  thought  fit  to  make  known,  that  it  may  evidently  appear,  how  contrary 
the  Quakers  Practice,  where  they  have  the  Government,  is,  to  their 
professed  Principle,  that  it  is  unlawful  to  them,  to  fight  with  a  Carnal  Weapon, 
so  much  as  in  their  own  defence.  The  like  Commission  I  have  seen  in  the 
Original,  given  by  some  Quaker  Magistrates  at  Philadelphia,  in  Pensilvania, 
about  fifteen  Years  ago,  giving  three  Persons,  there  Commissions  to  be 
Captains,  to  go  with  their  Companies  to  recover  a  Sloop  by  force  of  Arms, 
that  some  Privateers  had  stolen  out  of  the  Harbour. 

That  it  is  the  Quakers  professed  Principle  that  they  cannot  Fight,  or  Kill, 
in  their  own  defence,  is  evident  from  seueral  Declarations  of  their  Leaders  and 
Authors  in  Print,  but  especially  from  Mr.  Pen's  Key,  which  has  been  oft 
reprinted.  In  Pag.  34,  35.  he  saith,  They  (i.  e.  the  Quakers)  cannot  Kill  or 
slay  their  own  kind;  for  Proof  of  which  he  quotes  2  Cor.  10.  3,5.  The 
Weapons  of  our  Warfare  are  not  Carnal,  &c.  This  again  was  contradicted 
by  the  Quakers  Practice  in  Pensilvania,  who  by  his  Authority  or  Allowance 
put  several  Persons  to  Death  judicially,  for  suspected  Murthers.  (to  several  of 
which  they  had  no  Evidence  made  either  by  Witness,  or  by  their  Confession, 
whom  they  caused  to  be  put  to  death.)  And  as  to  that  Text  Mr.  Pen  has 
quoted  in  his  Key,  2  Cor.  10.  3,  5.  for  a  Reason  why  the  Quakers  cannot  use 
a  Carnal  Weapon.  Query,  Is  not  a  Gallows,  or  Gibbet,  on  which  the  Quaker 
Judges  in  Pensilvania  (some  of  which  were  Preached  also)  caused  some  to  be 
hanged  for  suspected  Murther,  a  Carnal  Weapon  as  really  as  a  Sword,  Gun, 
or  Spear  ? 

The  like  Contradiction,  the  Quakers  are  guilty  of,  in  their  late  common 
Practice,  of  their  Solemn  calling  God  to  Witness  about  worldly  matters, 
contrary  to  their  Professed  Principle,  published  in  Print  by  Mr.  Pen,  and 
several  other  Quakers,  in  their  Treatise  of  Oaths.  In  that  Book  Mr.  Pen 
saith,  To  attest  the  Name  of  God  in  any  Terrestrial  Matter,  is  a  breach  of 
Christ's  Command,  Matt.  5.  34,  37. 


George  KeitKs  Journal.  25 

Again,  in  Mr.  Pen's  Key,  which  hath  had  several  impressions  (rag.  36.  of 
one  impression)  he  saith,  The  Quakers  can  go  no  further  than  Yea,  and  Nay, 
[viz.  in  their  declarations  in  Civil  Judicatures,  &c]  This  Mr.  Pen  knoweth 
is  contradicted,  (if  not  by  himself)  by  the  frequent  practice  of  Quakers,  both 
in  England  and  America,  who,  beyond  their  Yea,  and  Nay,  solemnly  call 
God  to  Witness  in  their  affirmations  before  Magistrates,  which,  in  the 
judgment  of  the  most  judicious,  is  the  substance  of  an  Oath,  and  without  all 
controversie  is  more  than  Yea,  and  Nay.  And  this  the  prevailing  Party  of 
the  Quakers  in  England  have  not  only  practised,  but  with  no  small  endeavour 
have  Petitioned  to  be  granted  unto  them,  by  Act  of  Parliament,  and  which 
they  have  obtained.  It  is  true,  there  is  a  small  Party  of  Quakers  opposite  to 
this  Practice,  who  think  it  is  a  going  off  from  their  Ancient  Testimony  of 
Yea,  and  Nay.  But  the  other  Party  has  carried  it  against  them.  And  yet 
they  would  have  it  believed,  they  are  all  in  perfect  Unity  of  Principles, 
whereas  they  are  much  divided,  as  in  their  Principles  about  Swearing  and 
Fighting,  so  in  diverse  others.  A  Quaker  of  good  Note  among  them,  has  not 
only  declared  for  Baptism,  as  being  an  Institution  of  Christ,  but  has  actually 
received  it,  but  not  by  any  Minister  of  the  Church  of  England,  (as  I  am 
informed)  which  I  wish  he  had  done,  if  he  was  not  formerly  Baptized.  I  am 
also  informed,  that  he  has  declared  his  mind  concerning  the  Lord's  Supper, 
that  it  is  of  Divine  Institution.  I  hope  God  in  due  time  will  further  enlighten 
him  to  see,  how  grosly  the  Quakers  have  erred  in  other  things,  as  much  as  in 
their  throwing  away  those  Two  Divine  Institutions,  and  calling  them,  worldly 
Rudiments  and  beggarly  Elements,  which  Mr.  Pen  said,  in  Print,  The 
Quakers  have  been  led  to  reject  by  the  same  Spirit  by  which  Paul  (and  the 
Apostles)  were  led  to  reject  Circumcision  ;  yet  I  have  not  heard  that  the 
Quakers  have  cast  him  out  of  their  Communion,  for  his  taking  up,  what  both 
he,  and  they,  had  so  long  thrown  away.  I  hope  he  is  not  of  his  Brethrens 
Opinion,  that  the  Light  within  him,  and  within  all  Men,  is  sufficient  to  Sal- 
vation, without  any  thing  else  ;  for  if  he  were,  I  cannot  see,  what  need  he 
could  think  he  had,  either  of  Baptism,  or  the  Lord's  Supper,  or  of  the 
Scriptures,  or  of  Christ  without  him,  and  his  precious  Blood,  and  Sacrifice 
upon  the  Cross  for  our  Sins,  and  his  continual  Intercession  for  us  in  Heaven 
with  the  Father  ;  all  which  are  something  else,  than  the  Light  within  him. 

I  happened  in  America,  while  I  was  there  Travelling,  to  see  a  Book  lately 
Printed,  called  New-England  Judged,  having  a  Printed  Appendix  to  it,  by 
John  Whiting  Quaker,  who  has  set  up  of  late  for  a  great  Author  among 
them,  and  who  is  extreainly  ignorant  as  well  as  confident,  to  utter  Falshoods 
and  abusive  Slanders.  In  his  said  Appendix,  he  utters  a  notorious  Falshood 
upon  me,  as  if  at  Philadelphia,  about  the  Year  1692,  I  had  fained  my  self  a 
Prisoner,  and  to  make  this  Fiction  to  be  believed,  I  had  gone  to  the  Porch  of 
the  Prison,  the  Prison  door  being  shut  against  me,  and  from  the  Porch  of  the 
Prison,  had  writ  and  dated  a  Paper  of  complaint  against  the  Quakers  for  my 
imprisonment;  and  to  make  his  Reader  take  the  greater  notice  of  it,  he  has 
caused  the  following  Words  to  be  printed  on  the  Margin  in  great  Black 
Letters ;  Note,  George  Keittis-Mock  Imprisonment.  Now  to  prove  the 
notorious  falshood  of  this,  I  need  go  no  further  than  a  Book  of  one  of  his 
Brethren,  viz.  Samuel  Jennings,  Printed  at  London  1694,  called  by  him,  The 
State  of  the  Case,  &c.  wherein,  though  he  has  uttered  many  falshoods,  cou- 


26  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

earning  the  State  of  the  Case,  about  our  differences  in  Principles  of  Religion, 
in  the  Years  1691,  and  1692,  whereof  I  had  largely  detected  him  in  my 
Printed  Reply  to  his  Book ;  yet  he  saith  true,  in  what  he  did  Report  in  his 
Book,  concerning  two  Persons,  whom  the  Quakers  had  put  in  Prison,  the  one 
for  Printing  a  sheet  of  mine,  I  called  an  Appeal,  &c.  and  the  other  for  selling 
one  or  two  of  them  when  Printed  ;  the  Name  of  the  Printer  is  William 
Bradford,  the  Name  of  the  other  is  John  MacJccomb.  Now  concerning  them 
the  said  Quaker,  Samuel  Jennings,  Reports,  that  they  signed  a  Paper  from 
the  Prison,  when  they  signed  it  in  the  Entry  common  to  the  Prison,  and  the 
next  House.  Thus  he  gives  the  true  matter  of  Fact,  and  tells  truly  who 
Signed  that  Paper  in  the  Entry  or  Porch,  which  were  those  two  above- 
named  persons,  but  mentions  not  me,  as  being  concerned  in  Signing  that 
Paper,  either  in  the  Entry  or  Porch,  or  any  where  else.  And  to  be  sure  if  I 
had  been  one  of  the  Persons,  who  had  Signed  that  Paper,  he  would  have 
told  the  World  of  it,  as  thereby  thinking  to  have  some  great  matter  against 
me.  For  he  chargeth  it  upon  these  two  abovenamed  Persons,  William 
Bradford,  and  John  Mackcomb,  that  it  was  deceit  in  them  to  Sign  a  Paper 
from  the  IJrison,  when  they  were  not  in  the  Prison,  but  in  the  Porch  or 
Entry  of  it,  as  he  saith.  In  my  Answer  to  him,  I  have  shewed  it  was  no 
deceit,  nor  had  any  thing  blame- worthy ;  the  Case  wras  this.  They  were 
Prisoners  by  a  Warrant  from  some  Quaker  Justices,  for  the  Fact  above- 
mentioned,  and  had  been  detained  in  Prison  for  some  time,  and  were  ordered 
to  be  kept  in  Prison  until  the  next  Court,  unless  they  gave  security  by  Bonds 
to  Answer  at  the  next  Court.  After  some  time  the  Jaylor  by  favour  let  them 
go  home,  but  still  they  were  Prisoners,  not  being  released  by  any  Judicatory ; 
and  the  Quaker  Justices  delaying  to  bring  them  to  a  Tryal,  they  went  to  the 
Prison  to  Write,  and  Sign  their  Petition  from  the  Prison,  to  have  their  Tryal 
at  the  next  Sessions  ;  but  it  happened  that  the  Jaylor  was  gone  abroad,  and 
had  the  Key  to  the  Prison  with  him,  so  that  they  could  not  get  in.  Now  I 
see  no  deceit  or  insincerity  in  this,  more  than  in  the  common  Practice  of 
many  Quakers,  who  have  printed  Records  of  their  suffering  Imprisonment  (for 
not  paying  Tithes)  some  Years,  and  yet  they  oft  had  liberty  to  go  home,  by 
favour  of  the  Jay  lore,  to  my  certain  Knowledge.  But  whether  William 
Bradford  and  John  Mackcomb,  were  guilty  of  deceit  or  not,  is  not  material  to 
the  present  Case  of  John  Whiting  his  Vile  Slander,  as  if  I  had  been  the 
Person,  or  one  of  the  Persons,  who  had  Writ  that  Paper  from  the  Porch  or 
Entry  of  the  Prison.  This  is  sufficient  Proof,  that  what  John  Whiting  has 
thus  Printed  against  me,  was  not  from  the  infallible  Spirit,  and  that  he  is 
therefore  by  George  Fox's  Sentence,  a  Deceiver. 

September  10, 1702.  We  came  from  Newport  on  Rhod-Island  and  crossed 
the  Ferry  over  to  Naraganset,  and  lodged  that  Night  at  Mr.  Balfures  House, 
who  Entertained  us  very  kindly  and  hospitably,  and  next  day  we  Travelled 
about  25  Miles,  and  lodg'd  at  Mr.  Sextons,  an  Inn-keeper ;  and  next  day  we 
safely  arrived  at  New-London  in  Connecticot  Colony,  and  Government,  which 
stands  by  a  Navigable  River. 

Septemb.  13,  Sunday.  Mr.  Talbot  Preached  there  in  the  Forenoon,  and  I 
Preached  there  in  the  Afternoon,  we  being  desired  so  to  do  by  the  Minister, 
Mr.  Gurdon  Saltenstall,  who  civilly  Kntertained  us  at  his  House,  and 
expressed  his  good   affection  to  the  Church  of  England,  as   did  also  the 


George  Keith's  Journal.  27 

Minister  at  Hampton,  and  the  Minister  at  Salisbury  abovementioned,  and 
diverse  others  New-England  Ministers  did  the  like.  My  Text  was  Rom.  8.  9. 
The  Auditory  was  large,  and  well  affected.  Col.  Winthrop,  Governour  of  the 
Colony,  after  Forenoon  Sermon,  invited  us  to  Dinner  at  his  House,  and  kindly 
Entertained  us,  both  then,  and  the  next  day. 

Sept.  15,  1702.  We  hired  a  sloop  to  carry  us  from  New-London  to 
Long-Island  over  the  Sound,  being  about  Six  Leagues  Broad,  and  that  day 
we  safely  arrived  at  a  Place  on  Long-Island,  called,  Oyster-Ponds,  about 
Noon,  after  that  we  came  on  Horseback  that  Day  24  Miles,  and  lodged  at 
Mr.  HoweVs  an  Inn-keeper,  the  next  Day  we  Travelled  45  Miles,  to  Scatalket, 
and  lodged  at  Mr.  Gibs,  Innkeeper;  the  next  Day, being  the  17th  Instant,  we 
Travelled  32  Miles,  all  upon  Long-Island,  and  arrived  at  Oysterbay,  where  we 
were  kindly  received,  and  hospitally  entertained  by  Mr.  Edward  White  at  his 
House,  on  free  cost,  for  several  Days,  where  we  staid  to  rest  and  refresh  us. 
He  was  a  Justice  of  Peace,  and  had  been  formerly  a  Quaker,  and  his  Wife 
had  been  a  Quaker  also,  and  was  not  quite  come  off  from  the  Quakers. 

Septemb.  20,  Sunday.  At  the  Request  of  Mr.  Edward  White,  and  some 
other  Neighbours  in  the  Town,  having  used  the  Church  Prayers  before 
Sermon,  I  Preached  on  Titus  2.  11,  12.  And  that  Day  Mr.  Talbot 
Baptized  a  Child,  at  the  request  of  the  Child's  Mother,  her  Husband  being 
from  home. 

Septemb.  24,  1705.  I  went  to  the  Quakers  Meeting  at  Flushing  on 
Long-Island,  accompanied  with  Mr.  Talbot  and  the  Reverend  Mr.  Vesey,  the 
Church  of  England  Minister  at  New- York,  and  diverse  other  Persons 
belonging  to  Jamaica  (a  Town  on  Long-Island,)  well  affected  to  the  Church 
of  England.  After  some  time  of  silence,  I  began  to  speak,  standing  up  in  the 
Gallery,  where  their  Speakers  use  to  stand  when  they  speak ;  but  I  was  so 
much  interrupted  by  the  Clamour  and  Noise,  that  several  of  the  Quakers 
made,  forbidding  me  to  speak,  that  I  could  not  proceed.  After  this,  one  of 
their  Speakers  began  to  Speak,  and  continued  Speaking  about  an  Hour,  the 
whole  was  a  ramble  of  nonsense  and  perversion  of  Scripture,  with  gross 
reflections  both  on  the  Church,  and  the  Government  there.  Several  times 
speaking  of  Christ,  he  said,  while  Christ  was  in  that  Prepared  Body,  which  is 
a  common  Phrase  among  them  ;  whereby  they  plainly  intimate,  they  do  not 
believe  he  is  now  in  that  Body,  or  that  he  has  any  thing  of  that  Body,  which 
he  had  on  Earth.  Nor  do  they  own  that  Christ  has  any  Body  but  his 
Church,  or  such  a  Body  as  lie  had  from  all  Eternity,  and  is  every  where ;  all 
which  hath  been  sufficiently  proved  out  of  the  Printed  Books  of  their  most 
noted  Authors.  He  said,  they  (viz.  the  Quakers)  believed  in  that  very  Christ 
that  died  at  Jerusalem  ;  and  a  little  after  he  said,  that,  that  Christ,  was  the 
Seed  that  was  oppressed  by  Sin  in  Men.  He  Preached  against  all  Creeds, 
and  accused  all  their  Adversaries  that  they  kicked  against  the  Spirit.  This 
was  a  reflexion  upon  the  Church  of  England,  because  she  doth  not  hold,  that 
Men  have  those  extraordinary  Gifts  of  the  Spirit,  to  Preach,  and  Pray,  as  the 
Quaker  Preachers  pretend  to  have  ;  but  as  they  have  it  not,  it  is  evident  they 
have  a\a  extraordinary  impudence  to  father  all  their  ignorant  and  nonsensical 
Expressions,  and  perversions  of  Scripture,  (which  they  commonly  utter  in  their 
Meetings)  upon  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  is  a  most  dreadful  Sin.  He  said, 
Vice  was  set  up,  which  was  a  reflexion  upon  the  Government  there,  because 


28  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

some  were  lately  made  Justices  of  the  Peace  on  Long-Island,  that  were  not 
greatly  affected  to  Quakerism.  After  he  had  done,  he  went  away  out  of  the 
Meeting  in  all  hast,  fearing  (I  suppose)  he  should  be  questioned  about  the 
things  he  had  said.  I  stood  up  again  to  speak  in  their  Meeting,  but  they 
made  a  new  interruption,  and  threatened  me  with  being  guilty  of  the  breach 
of  the  Act  of  Toleration,  and  that  by  my  so  doing,  I  had  put  my  self  Twenty 
Pounds  in  the  Queen's  Debt;  I  told  them,  I  had  not  broke  the  Act  of 
Toleration,  for  I  made  no  interruption,  but  was  silent  all  the  while  their 
Preacher  was  speaking ;  but  they  had  broke  the  Act  of  Toleration,  by 
interrupting  me,  when  I  began  to  Speak  ;  they  told  me,  I  had  no  right  to 
Speak  in  their  Meetings.  I  answered,  I  had  better  right  to  Speak  in  these 
Meeting-Houses,  than  any  of  their  Speakers  had  ;  at  this  they  seemed  greatly 
to  Wonder ;  and  asked  how  I  could  make  that  appear,  for  the  House  and 
Ground  was  theirs,  which  they  had  bought  with  their  Mony,  and  to  which 
I  had  contributed  nothing  :  And  one  of  them  was  so  hot,  that  he  commanded 
me  to  go  out  of  the  House,  for  it  was  his  House,  and  for  me  to  stay  in  his 
House,  against  his  Will,  was  contrary  to  Law,  and  he  could  Prosecute  me. 
I  Answered  him,  it  was  not  his  Property ;  all  who  have  a  Mind  to  come  into 
that  House  at  Meeting  time,  may  come,  it  being  appointed  for  a  Religious 
Meeting  House,  where  all  have  a  common  Right;  and  according  to  the  Act 
of  Toleration,  ye  are  bound  to  keep  your  Doors  open  where  ye  Meet ;  and  if 
ye  shut  them  against  me,  or  any,  we  may  prosecute  you  by  Law.  But,  said 
they,  How  has  thou  a  better  right  to  speak  in  our  Meeting-House  than  we  ? 
I  told  them,  in  a  double  respect :  First,  that  Meeting-House  was  appointed 
for  the  service  of  Truth,  (which  is  their  own  manner  of  Phrase,)  and  that  what 
was  Truth,  should  be  spoken  in  it,  and  not  falshood  and  error ;  and  there- 
fore, while  I  speak  Truth  in  it,  and  your  Speakers  speak  not  Truth,  but 
falshood  and  errors,  I  have  a  better  right  than  they.  Secondly,  None  of  your 
Speakers  have  any  right  to  Speak  in  your  Meeting-Houses,  because  ye  have 
not  your  Meeting-Houses  Licensed,  as  the  Act  of  Toleration  expressly  requires ; 
nor  have  any  of  your  Preachers  qualified  themselves  as  that  Act  express, 
viz.  to  Sign  to  Thirty-four  of  the  Articles  of  Religion  of  the  Church  of 
England  ;  this  they  have  not  done,  nor  can  do,  because  the  Quakers  Princi- 
ples are  contrary  to  most  of  them,  or  rather  indeed  to  them  all,  whereas  I  am 
qualified,  as  the  Act  requires.  They  accused  me,  that  I  came  not  in  Love  to 
Preach  to  them,  but  was  hired  by  the  Bishops  to  come,  and  that  the  Love  of 
Money  brought  me  to  America,  and  not  Love  to  their  Souls.  I  told  them  it 
was  a  false  accusation. 

I  owned  it,  that  God  had  raised  up  Friends  to  assist  me  with  Money,  in 
such  a  chargeable  Undertaking ;  but  this  was  no  more  than  what  the  Quakers 
at  London  did,  who  largely  supply  the  Travelling  Friends  who  come  over 
from  England  into  America,  with  Money  out  of  their  National  Stock,  beside 
what  they  gather  up  in  the  several  Meetings  in  America,  which  they  visit. 
They  replyed,  they  never  knew  any  Mony  given  to  any  Travelling  Friends,  by 
their  Meeting.  And  they  asked  me,  if  I  had  any  Mony  from  them,  while  I 
was  a  Travelling  Friend  among  them  ?  Yes,  said  I,  I  have  had  from  this 
very  Meeting.  They  asked  of  whom,  and  when  ?  I  told  them,  of  an  honest 
Woman,  yet  living  not  far  distant ;  they  replyed,  Art  not  thou  a  Treacherous 
Man  to  tell  this  ?     Why,  said  I,  to  tell  the  Truth,  in  answer  to  your  Question. 


George  Keith's  Journal.  29 

It  is  a  thing  well  enough  known  to  themselves,  that  they  have  frequent 
Collections,  at  their  Monthly,  and  Quarterly  Meetings,  one  chief  use  whereof 
is,  to  furnish  the  Travelling  Friends  with  Mony. 

One  of  the  Quakers  at  that  Meeting  in  Flushing,  that  made  the  interrup- 
tion, did  openly  accuse  me  in  the  Meeting,  that  I  had  defrauded  the  Toor  of 
50  Pounds  of  Mony,  which  Miles  Forster  had  delivered  to  me  to  give  the 
Quakers  at  London,  for  the  use  of  their  Poor,  being  part  of  what  Colonel 
West  had  left  to  them  by  Legacy  in  his  Will,  (whereof  Miles  Forster  was  the 
sole  Executor.)  The  which  Scandalous  accusation,  the  Quakers  of  Long 
Island  had  industriously  spread  over  the  Country  against  me  ;  and  the  same 
was  objected  against  me,  by  a  Quaker  at  Burlington  in  West-Jersey,  in  the 
hearing  of  many  present.  But  as  I  then  declared,  and  I  now  declare,  I  had 
no  Mony  delivered  to  me  by  Miles  Forster,  to  give  to  the  Quakers  at  London, 
whether  Poor  or  Rich.  At  my  coming  from  America,  in  the  Year  1693,  the 
said  Miles  Forster  gave  me  a  Bill  of  40  Pounds  English  Mony  to  be  paid  me 
at  London,  to  my  own  proper  use,  (he  being  indebted  to  me,  in  some  part  of 
the  like  Sum.)  But  the  Mony  of  this  Bill,  was  no  part  of  the  Poors  Mony, 
but  was  Miles  Forster  s  own  Mony,  which  he  drew  by  Bill,  upon  a  Person  at 
London,  that  did  owe  him  a  far  greater  Sum  ;  the  which  Bill  was  duly  paid 
to  me.  When  he  gave  me  that  Bill,  he  told  me  what  was  the  occasion  and 
cause,  that  moved  him  to  do  it,  which  was  this,  That  to  his  certain  knowledge, 
Col.  West,  out  of  the  special  respect  and  love  he  had  to  me,  by  his  reading 
my  Books,  about  the  time  the  difference  betwixt  the  Quakers  of  Pensilvania, 
and  me,  about  matters  of  Religion  began,  had  designed  to  give  me  some 
considerable  Benefaction ;  and  in  order  to  that,  when  he  lay  sick  at  Miles 
Forster 's  House  at  New-  York,  he  desired  Myles  Forster  to  Write  to  me  to 
come  to  him.  I  was  then  living  with  my  Family  at  Philadelphia,  distant 
about  an  Hundred  Miles  from  New-York.  After  I  received  this  Message,  I 
made  all  the  hast  I  could  to  go  to  New-York  unto  him.  But  it  so  happened, 
that  Col.  West  was  Dead  and  Buried  before  I  arrived.  To  answer  the  intent 
of  Col.  West,  Myles  told  me,  he  gave  me  that  Bill,  to  be  paid  to  me  at 
London,  as  some  gratification  to  me,  for  the  respect  Col.  West  had  to  me,  and 
also  for  the  labour,  and  charge,  I  was  at  in  my  Journey,  to  come  unto  him. 
But  none  of  the  Money  of  that  Bill,  was  any  part  of  what  Col.  West  left  in 
his  Will  to  the  Poor  of  the  Quakers  at  London,  but  was  Mgles  Forster's  own 
Money,  which  was  owing  to  him  at  London  by  the  Person  on  whom  he  drew 
that  Bill.  If  Myles  Forster  paid  himself  again  that  Money  he  gave  me  to  my 
own  proper  use,  out  of  that  part  of  Col.  West's  Estate,  that  was  left  in  Legacy 
to  the  Poor  of  the  Quakers  at  London,  Myles  Forster  was  to  be  accountable 
to  the  Quakers,  if  they  have  any  right  to  it,  for  his  so  doing,  and  not  I ;  for  it 
was  simply  Miles  Forster's  benefaction  to  me,  though  he  gave  it  to  me  on 
Col.  WesCs  Account ;  Col.  West  having  left  to  him,  not  only  a  considerable 
Legacy,  as  being  his  Executor,  but  had  also  left  to  him  in  his  Will,  full  Power 
to  dispose  of  what  Money  was  left  to  the  Poor  of  the  Quakers  at  London,  to 
what  Quakers,  or  what  sort  of  Quakers  he  thought  fit ;  for  no  Names  of 
Quakers,  nor  sort  of  Quakers  were  mentioned  in  the  Will,  nor  no  Name  of 
any  Meeting  of  Quakers  mentioned  therein,  (there  being  at  that  time  two 
sorts  of  Quakers  at  London  opposite  to  one  another)  and  Miles  Forster 
informed  me,  that  much,  if  not  most  of  what  was  left  by  Col.  West  in  his 


30  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

Will  to  the  Poor  of  the  Quakers  at  London,  was  depending  on  a  Condition 
expressed  in  the  Will,  that  was  not  performed,  and  by  somewhat  that 
happened  could  not,  nor  even  can  be  performed ;  and  consequently  the  far 
greatest  part  thereof,  which  was  much  more  than  the  contents  of  that  Bill 
which  he  gave  to  me,  did  wholly  belong  by  right  to  him,  being  the  Executor. 
But  the  Quakers  and  Miles  Forster,  are  to  debate  the  case  betwixt  them. 
The  Quakers  Lawyers  at  New-York,  have  sufficiently  informed  them,  that 
they  can  have  no  Claim  or  Action  against  me,  for  what  I  received  of  Miles 
Forster.  And  Miles  Forsterh  Lawyers,  have  declared  their  Mind  in  the 
Case,  that  the  Quakers  can  have  no  right  to  sue  him,  for  what  he  gave  to  me, 
whether  he  gave  it  out  of  the  Money  left  in  Col.  West's  Will  to  the  Poor,  or 
otherwise.  Because,  by  the  Will,  he  had  Power  to  give  to  me  what  part  of 
it  he  pleased,  as  well  as  to  any  other.  And  when  I  was  lately  with  Miles 
Forster,  at  Amboy  in  East-Jerssy,  where  he  now  lives;  he  told  me  some- 
London  Quakers  had  sent  their  Letter  of  Attorney  to  some  Quakers  of  New- 
York  Province,  to  demand  of  him  the  Poors  Money,  that  was  left  to  their 
Poor  of  London,  by  the  Will  of  Col.  West,  and  that  they  of  New-York  and 
he  had  some  Meeting  about  it;  and  that  he  asked  them,  By  what  Right 
these  Quakers  at  London  did  demand  that  Money,  more  than  any  other 
Quakers  there,  seeing  their  Names  were  not  in  the  Will,  nor  the  Names  of 
any  other,  either  of  Persons,  or  Meetings.  But  to  this  they  could  give  no 
satisfactory  Answer,  and  so  the  Matter  remains  in  suspence  betwixt  them. 

September  27,  1702.  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Hampsted  on  Long-Island 
in  the  Afternoon,  where  was  such  a  Multitude  of  People,  that  the  Church 
could  not  hold  them,  so  that  many  stood  without  at  the  Doors  and  Windows 
to  hear  ;  who  were  generally  well  affected,  and  greatly  desired  that  a  Church 
of  England  Minister  should  be  settled  among  them  ;  which  has  been  done, 
for  the  Reverend  Mr.  John  Thomas  is  now  their  Minister.  My  Text  was, 
Luke  10.  42. 

September  28.     We  arrived  at  the  Ferry  by  New-York. 

September  30,  Wednesday.  At  the  Request  of  Mr.  Vesey,  the  Minister  at 
New- York,  I  preached  at  the  Weekly  Fast,  which  was  appointed  by  the 
Government,  by  reason  of  the  great  Mortality  that  was  then  at  New- York, 
where  above  Five  Hundred  died  in  the  Space  of  a  few  Weeks ;  and  that  very 
Week,  about  Seventy  died.     My  Text  was,  Jam.  5.  13. 

October  1.  From  the  Ferry  by  New-York,  we  came  to  Reedhook  on  Long- 
Island,  where  we  waited  for  a  fair  Passage,  and  next  Day  we  got  over  to 
Staten- Island,  and  from  Staten-Island  to  Amboy  in  East-Jersey. 

October  3,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Amboy  in  East-Jersey  ;  the  Auditory 
was  small :  My  Text  was  Tit.  2.  11,  12.  But  such  as  were  there,  were  well 
affected  ;  some  of  them,  of  my  former  Acquaintance,  and  others  who  had  been 
formerly  Quakers  but  were  come  over  to  the  Church,  particularly  Miles 
Forster,  and  John  Barclay  (Brother  to  Robert  Barclay,  who  published  the 
Apology  for  the  Quakers)  the  Place  has  very  few  Inhabitants.  We  were 
several  Days  kindly  entertained  by  Miles  Forster  at  his  House  there. 

October  10,  1702.  Sunday.  We  went  to  the  Meeting  of  the  Quakers  at 
Toponemes,  in  Freehold  in  East-Jersey,  who  used  to  keep  a  separate  Meeting 
from  the  other  Quakers,  for  their  gross  Errors  ;  and  joined  with  me  and  my 
Friends  in  the  Separation,  about  the  Year  1692  ;  and  it  happened  to  be  their 


George  KeitKs  Journal.  31 

Yearly  Meeting,  where  diverse  came  from  West-Jersey  and  Fensilvania : 
One  of  their  Preachers  pray'd  and  preached  before  I  began.  After  he  had 
done,  I  used  some  of  the  Church  Collects  I  had  by  heart,  in  Prayer;  and 
after  that,  I  preached  on  Htb.  5.  0.  There  was  a  considerable  Auditory  of 
diverse  sorts  ;  some  of  the  Church,  and  some  Presbyterians,  besides  the 
Quakers ;  they  heard  me  without  any  Interruption,  and  the  Meeting  ended 
peaceably.  Their  two  Speakers  lodged  in  the  same  House  with  me  that 
Evening,  at  the  Ilouse  of  Thomas  Boels,  formerly  a  Quaker,  but  is  now  of 
the  Church.  I  had  some  free  Discourse  with  them  about  several  weighty 
things:  I  told  them,  so  far  as  they  used  their  Gifts  to  instruct  the  Ignorant, 
and  reclaim  them  from  the  vile  Errors  of  Quakerism,  they  were  to  be  com- 
mended ;  but  that  they  had  taken  upon  them  to  Administer  Baptism  and  the 
Lord's  Supper  to  any,  they  were  greatly  to  be  blamed,  having  no  due  external 
Call,  or  Ordination,  so  to  do. 

October  11,  Monday.  We  met  again  the  next  Day,  and  had  the  like 
Auditory  :  Their  other  Speaker  aray'd  and  preached,  and  after  that,  I  pray'd, 
using  the  same  Collects  as  the  Day  before,  and  preached  on  1  Thes.  5.  19. 
without  any  Interruption,  and  the  Meeting  peaceably  ended.  I  could  blame 
nothing  in  the  Matter  of  their  second  Speaker,  nor  in  the  former,  except  where 
he  said  in  his  Discourse,  That  they  who  were  in  Christ,  need  not  fear  Hell. 
I  endeavoured  to  clear  the  Matter  in  my  Discourse,  by  distinguishing  betwixt 
an  Absolute  Fear  of  Hell,  such  as  the  Wicked  ought  to  have,  and  a  Con- 
ditional Fear,  which  Good  Men,  even  such  who  are  in  Christ,  ought  to  have  ; 
and  about  this  he  and  I  had  some  private  Discourse  also  betwixt  us,  but  he 
was  dissatisfied,  and  would  not  own,  That  any  who  were  in  Christ  ought  to 
have  any  Fear  of  Hell,  so  much  as  Conditional. 

October  17,  Sunday,  I  preached  at  Midleton  in  East- Jersey,  where,  before 
Sermon,  Mr.  Talbot  read  the  Church  Prayers,  and  I  preached  on  Mat.  28.  19, 
20.  One  main  part  of  my  Sermon  being  to  prove  Infant-Baptism  to  be 
included  in  the  Apostles  Commissions,  as  well  as  that  of  Adult  Persons,  there 
being  several  of  the  Auditory  who  were  Anabaptists,  who  heard  me  civilly, 
without  any  Interruption  ;  but  most  of  the  Auditory  were  Church  People,  or 
well  affected  to  the  Church. 

October  24,  Sunday,  1702.  I  preached  at  Shrewsbury  in  East- Jersey  at 
a  House  near  the  Quakers  Meeting-house,  and  it  happened  that  it  was  the 
Time  of  the  Quakers  Yearly  Meeting  at  Shrewsbury  :  My  Text  was  2  Pet.  2. 
1,  2.  The  Church  Prayers  being  read  before  Sermon,  we  had  a  great  Con- 
gregation, generally  well  affected  to  the  Church,  and  diverse  of  them  were  of 
the  Church,  and  that  Day  I  sent  some  Lines  in  Writing  to  the  Quakers  at 
their  Yearly  Meeting ;  which  Mr.  Talbot  did  read  to  them  in  their  Meeting, 
wherein  I  desired  them  to  give  me  a  Meeting  with  them  some  Day  of  that 
Week,  before  their  Meetings  were  concluded  ;  in  which  Meeting,  I  offered  to 
detect  great  Errors  in  their  Authors  Books,  and  they  should  have  full  Liberty 
to  answer  what  they  had  to  say  in  their  Vindication.  But  they  altogether 
refused  my  Proposition ;  and  several  Papers  pass'd  betwixt  us  :  In  some  of 
their  Papers,  they  used  gross  Reflections  on  the  Church  of  England,  as  much 
as  on  me.  We  continued  our  Meetings  three  days,  as  the  Quakers  did  theirs. 
And  the  second  Day  of  our  Meeting  at  the  same  House,  where  we  had 
formerly  met,  I  detected   the  Quakers  Errors  out  of  their  printed  Books, 


32  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

particularly  out  of  the  Folio  Book  of  Edw.  Burroughs  Works,  collected  and 
published  by  the  Quakers  after  his  Death,  and  did  read  the  Quotations  to  the 
Auditory,  laying  the  Pages  open  before  such  as  were  willing  to  read  them, 
for  their  better  Satisfaction,  as  some  did  read  them. 

Some  of  the  Quotations  were  such  as  follow. 

Page  126.  (i.  e.  the  Ministers)  Prophecy  and  Preaching  would  soon  be 
ended,  if  they  had  not  the  Scripture  to  preach  their  Imaginations  upon. 

Pag.  273.  Quakers  Sufferings  greater  and  more  unjust  than  the  Suffer- 
ings of  Christ  and  the  Apostles. 

Pag.  19.  He  denies  a  written  Word. — No  other  Word  (saith  he)  do  I  own 
but  Christ. 

Pag.  402.  He  will  revoke  if  any  can  prove,  that  the  Scriptures  call  them- 
selves the  Word. 

Pag.  484.  The  Spirit  of  God,  the  only  standing  Rule  to  walk  by,  not  the 
Scriptures. 

Pag.  292.   The  Flesh  of  Christ's  Body  Infinite. 

Pag.  515.  God  and  the  Spirit,  not  Persons,  but  Infinite  Beings. 

Pag.  698.  They  (i.  e.  the  Quakers)  are  One  with  the  Father  in  Nature. 

Pag.  413.  All  that  Christians  practise  is  become  Idolatry. 

Pag.  27.  That  which  sinned  could  not  be  saved,  dx. 

October  26,  1702.  Tuesday.  I  preached  again  at  Shrewsbury  on  Mat. 
7.  13.  In  all  these  Meetings  at  Shrewsbury,  Midletown,  and  Toponemes,  or 
where  ever  else,  on  Nethersiriks,  Mr.  Lewis  Moris,  and  diverse  others  of  best 
Note  in  that  Country,  frequented  the  Congregations  and  Places  where  we 
preached,  and  did  kindly  entertain  us  at  their  Houses,  where  we  lodged  as  we 
travelled  too  and  again ;  particularly  Mr.  Moris,  Mr.  Innes,  Mr.  Johnston, 
Mr.  Boels,  and  Mr.  Read ;  Mr.  Innes  being  in  Priest's  Orders,  has  oft 
preached  among  them,  and  by  Preaching,  and  Conferences  frequently  with 
Quakers  and  other  sorts  of  People,  as  also  by  his  pious  Conversation,  has 
done  much  Good  among  them,  and  been  very  instrumental  to  draw  them  off 
from  their  Errors,  and  bring  them  over  to  the  Church. 

October  29,  1702.     We  arrived  at  Burlington  in  West-Jersey. 

November  1,  Sunday.  We  preached  in  the  Town-House  at  Burlington, 
(the  Church  not  being  then  built)  and  we  had  a  great  Auditory  of  diverse 
sorts,  some  of  the  Church,  and  some  of  the  late  Converts  from  Quakerism. 
Mr.  Talbot  preached  before  Noon,  and  I  in  the  Afternoon.  My  Text  was, 
John  17.  3.  Col.  Hamilton,  then  Governour  of  West-Jersey,  was  present 
both  Forenoon  and  Afternoon,  and  at  his  Invitation  we  dined  with  him. 

November  3.  At  Burlington  I  detected  the  Quakers  Errors  out  of  their 
great  Authors,  George  Fox  his  great  Mystery,  and  Edward  Burroughs  Folio 
Book,  and  others,  having  given  the  Quakers  Preachers  Notice  two  Days 
before,  to  come  and  defend  their  Principles  and  Authors  ;  but  none  of  them 
would  appear  in  the  Cause. 

November  5.  We  arrived  at  Philadelphia,  and  were  kindly  received  by 
the  two  Ministers  there,  and  the  Church  People,  and  especially  by  the  late 
Converts  from  Quakerism,  who  were  become  zealous  Members  of  the  Church. 

November  8,  Sunday.  I  preached  in  the  Church  of  Philadelphia,  at  the 
Minister's  Request,  on  2  Pet.  3,  15,  16.  in  the  Afternoon.  Mr.  Talbot 
preached  there  in  the  Forenoon.     And  again  I  preached  another  Sermon,  on 


George  Keith's  Journal.  33 

the  same,  that  Evening,  after  six  a  Clock,  (it  being  usual  once  a  Month  to 
preach  an  Evening-Sermon  in  that  Town.)  We  had  a  very  great  Auditory, 
so  that  the  Church  could  not  contain  them,  but  many  stayed  without  and 
heard. 

That  Week  a  Meeting  of  the  Clergy  being  appointed  to  meet  together  at 
New- York  by  general  Consent,  we  accordingly  did  meet,  being  Seven  in 
number  ;  at  our  Meeting  we  drew  up  an  Account  of  the  State  of  the  Church 
in  these  American  Parts  of  Pensilvania,  West  and  East-Jersey,  and  New- 
York  Province ;  a  Copy  whereof  we  sent  to  the  Honourable  Society  at 
London,  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts.  Colonel 
Nicolson,  Governour  of  Virginia,  to  encourage  us  to  meet,  was  so  generous 
to  bear  our  Charges,  (I  mean  of  all  of  us  that  lived  not  at  New-York)  beside 
his  other  great  and  generous  Benefactions  to  the  Building  and  Adorning  many 
Churches  lately  built  in  these  Parts,  whereof  a  particular  Account  has  been 
given  to  the  Honourable  Society. 

November  15,  1702.  I  preached  at  New-York  on  Revel.  3.  20.  being 
Sacrament-Day. 

November  22,  Sunday.  I  preached  again  at  New-York,  on  Rom.  6.  17, 
18.  in  the  Forenoon,  and  Mr.  Talbot  in  the  Afternoon.  My  Lord  Cornbury, 
Governour  of  New-York  and  the  Jerseys,  was  very  kind  to  us,  and  at  his 
Invitation,  we  did  eat  at  his  Table  both  Sundays  and  other  Times. 

November  26,  Thursday.  I  Preached  at  Hampsted  on  Long-Island,  on 
Acts  26.  18. 

November  29, 1702.     I  Preached  again  at  Hampsted,  on  Ileb.  8.  10, 1 1, 12. 

Sunday,  December  3,  1702.  I  visited  again  the  Quakers  Meeting  at 
Flushing  on  Long-Island,  having  obtained  a  Letter  from  my  Lord  Cornbury, 
to  Two  Justices  of  Peace  to  go  along  with  me,  to  see  that  the  Quakers  should 
not  interrupt  me,  as  they  had  formerly  done  :  But  notwithstanding  the  Two 
Justices  that  came  along  with  me,  to  signifie  my  Lord  Cornburifs  Mind,  by 
his  Letter  to  them,  which  was  read  to  them  in  their  Meeting  by  Mr.  Talbot, 
they  used  the  like  interruption  as  formerly,  and  took  no  notice  of  my  Lord 
Cornbury"1  s  Letter,  more  than  if  it  had  been  from  any  private  Person.  They 
renewed  their  former  accusation  against  me,  that  I  had  broke  the  Act  of 
Toleration  ;  I  replyed,  I  had  not  broke  it,  for  I  did  not  interrupt  any  of  them'; 
they  answered,  I  interrupted  their  silent  Worship  ;  I  said,  I  knew  no  Clause 
in  that  Act,  that  forbid  the  interruption  of  their  silent  Worship.  I  brought 
the  Printed  Act  of  Toleration  with  me  to  their  Meeting,  and  Mr.  Talbot  did 
Read  several  Passages  out  of  it  to  them,  to  shew  that  they  had  neither 
qualified  their  Meeting-Houses,  nor  their  Preachers,  as  the  Act  required. 
But  notwithstanding  they  objected  the  Act  of  Toleration  against  me ;  when  I 
objected  it  against  them,  they  said,  that  Act  did  not  extend  to  America  ;. 
Behold  their  Partiality  !  We  stayed  and  heard  three  of  their  Speakers  one 
after  another,  though  it  was  very  grievous  to  us  to  hear  so  much  nonsense, 
and  perversion  of  Scripture,  uttered  by  them ;  and  all  this  upon  pretence  of 
being  moved  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  Their  chief  Speaker,  who  is  a  most 
ignorant  Person,  said,  Balak  had  sent  Balaam  to  Curse  the  People  of  God  : 
His  Sense  and  perverse  Application  of  that  historical  Passage  of  Scripture,  is 
easie  to  understand  without  a  Commentary.  After  they  had  done,  they 
generally  went  away,  Speakers  and  others  ;  bnt  many,  who  were  not  Quakers,, 

3 


34  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

stayed,  and  heard  me  resume  and  detect  the  gross  Perversions  and  Misappli- 
cations of  the  Scriptures,  which  they  had  made.  And  after  this,  I  detected  out 
of  a  Book  of  George  Whitehead,  called,  The  Divinity  of  Christ,  his  vile 
Error  concerning  Christ,  both  with  respect  to  his  Godhead  and  Manhood,  and 
I  did  read  the  Passages  out  of  his  Book  in  the  Hearing  of  the  Auditor}7.  In 
his  said  Book,  he  blames  his  Opponent,  Thomas  Vincent,  for  affirming,  that 
the  Son  proceeded  from  the  Father  by  an  eternal  Act  of  Generation,  and 
chargeth  it  with  Confusion  and  Nonsense.  Also  in  the  same  Book  he  brings 
many  Places  of  Scripture,  all  which  he  grossly  perverts,  to  prove  that  Christ 
suffered  as  God.  And  in  the  Appendix  to  his  Book,  he  blames  his  Opponent, 
Th.  Danson,  for  saying,  Christ,  as  Man,  had  a  created  Soul  and  Body  ;  and 
from  his  so  saying  doth  infer,  by  way  of  Query,  Doth  not  this  render  him  a 
Fourth  Person  ?  And  George  Fox  in  his  Preface  to  that  Book,  most  igno- 
rantly  and  perversely  argues  against  the  Three  Persons  in  the  Godhead, 
inferring,  by  way  of  Qusery,  (their  common  way  of  Disputing)  Doth  not  this 
render  them  Four  Persons  ?  Just  as  John  Whiting,  a  late  Author  among 
them,  in  his  Book  called,  Judas  and  the  Chief  Priests,  doth  ridicule  that 
Passage  in  the  Litany  of  the  Church  of  England,  0  Holy,  Blessed  and 
Glorious  Trinity,  Three  Persons  and  One  God  ;  inferring,  that  from  this 
there  should  be  Four  Persons  ;  for  that  Three  and  One  are  Four :  Whereas 
in  the  Act  of  Toleration,  there  is  an  express  Clause  that  excludes  all  such 
from  the  Benefit  of  the  Act,  That  either  in  their  Speaking  or  Writing,  deny 
the  Holy  Trinity,  as  taught  and  professed  in  the  Church  of  England  :  And 
yet  these  very  Persons  that  thus  revile  and  ridicule  the  Doctrine  of  the  Holy 
Trinity  as  taught  in  the  Church  of  England,  are  mighty  Pleaders  for  their 
Liberty  by  the  Act  of  Toleration  ;  as  if  not  only  their  Meetings  and  Preach- 
ings were  Tolerated,  but  Authorized  by  the  Act. 

December  6,  1702.  I  Preached  at  Oysterbay  in  the  Town-House,  on  Rom. 
10.  7,  8,  9.  And  we  were  kindly  entertained  at  the  House  of  Mr.  Edward 
White  abovementioned. 

December  13.  I  preached  at  Staten-Island  in  the  Town-House,  on  Titus 
2.  11,  12. 

December  20,  1702.  I  preached  at  Dr.  Johnston's,  at  Nethersinks,  on 
Rev.  22.  14. 

December  25,  Friday,  being  Christmas  day.  I  preached  at  the  House  of 
Mr.  Morris,  on  Luke  2.  10,  11.  And  after  Sermon,  diverse  of  the  Auditory 
received  with  us  the  Holy  Sacrament ;  both  Mr.  Morris  and  his  Wife,  and 
diverse  others.     Mr.  Talbot  did  administer  it. 

Decemb.  27,  Sunday,  1702.  I  preached  in  Shrewsbury  Town,  near  the 
Quakers  Meeting-House,  at  a  Planter's  House,  and  had  a  considerable 
Auditory  of  Church  People  lately  converted  from  Quakerism,  with  diverse 
others  of  the  Church  of  best  Note  in  that  Part  of  the  Country.  My  Text 
was  Heb.  8.  10,  11. 

January  1,  Friday.  I  preached  at  the  House  of  Mr.  Thomas  Boels  at 
Freehold  in  East- Jersey  :  My  Text  was  Isaiah  59.  20,  21.  Before  Sermon, 
after  the  Church  Prayers,  I  baptized  all  his  Children  ;  two  Sons  and  three 
Daughters.  He  was  formerly  a  Quaker,  but  is  now  come  over  to  the  Church  ; 
also  a  Son  of  Samuel  Dennis,  a  late  Convert  from  Quakerism. 

January  3,  Sunday,  1702.     I  preached  again  at  his  House,  on  the  same 


George  Keith's  Journal.  35 

Text,  and  before  Sermon  Mr.  Talbot  baptized  two  Persons  belonging  to  the 
Family  of  John  Bead,  formerly  a  Quaker,  but  was  lately  come  over  to  the 
Church  with  all  his  Children  ;  one  Son  and  two  Daughters.  His  two 
Daughters  were  baptized  by  Mr.  Talbot,  October  24,  1702.  As  also  the 
same  Day  were  baptized  William  Leads  and  his  Sister  Mary  Leads,  late 
Converts  from  Quakerism  to  the  Church  :  And  some  Days  before,  at  the 
House  of  John  Read,  Mr.  Talbot  baptized  the  Wife  of  Alexander  Neaper 
and  his  three  Children.  He  had  been  a  Quaker,  but  was  come  over  to  the 
Church. 

January  4,  1702.  I  came  to  the  House  of  Robert  Ray  in  Freehold  in 
East-Jersey,  accompanied  with  Thomas  Boels,  and  lodged  at  his  House  that 
Night.  At  his  and  his  Wife's  Desire,  I  baptized  all  his  Children  ;  some 
Boys  and  some  Girles,  in  number  Five  :  they  both  had  been  Quakers,  but  he 
was  not  then  come  throughly  off  from  Quakerism. 

January  10,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Burlington  at  the  House  of  Mr. 
Revel,  on  Mat.  6.  33.  And  I  baptized  a  Man's  Child  who  was  a  Church- 
man, where  I  had  a  large  Auditory. 

January  11.  We  came  to  Philadelphia,  and  lodged  at  the  House  of 
Mrs.  Welch  all  the  Time  we  happened  to  be  at  Philadelphia,  until  we  went 
from  Pensilvania  to  Virginia  and  North- Carolina,  in  the  Months  of  April 
and  May,  1702.  She  had  been  a  Quaker  for  many  Years,  and  of  good 
Repute.  About  the  Years  1691  and  1692,  it  pleased  God,  by  my  Means, 
through  the  Illumination  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  give  her  and  her  Daughter 
(who  was  educated  in  Quakerism)  to  see  their  Errors  and  forsake  them ;  and 
also  many  others  in  that  Place  about  that  time ;  who  afterwards  gradually 
came  off  from  Quakerism,  and  at  last  came  clearly  off,  and  joined  to  the 
Church,  whereof  they  are  become  zealous  Members.  She  entertained  us  both 
at  her  House,  (viz.  Mr.  Talbot  and  me)  all  the  time,  abovementioned,  and 
also  after  our  Return,  so  long  as  we  stayed  there,  gratis. 

January  17,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Philadelphia,  on  John  3.  5.  in  the 
Forenoon,  and  Mr.  Talbot  preached  in  the  Afternoon.  I  preached  again  on 
the  same  Text,  an  Evening  Sermon,  that  begun  after  the  sixth  Hour  at  Night. 

January  24,  Sunday,  1702.  I  preached  at  Philadelphia  on  Mat.  5.  17. 
both  in  the  Forenoon  and  Afternoon ;  Mr.  Evans  the  Minister  of  Phila- 
delphia having  that  Day  been  at  Chester  in  Pensilvania,  to  accompany  Mr. 
Talbot,  who  was  to  preach  there  the  first  Sermon  in  the  Church  after  it  was 
built. 

January  31,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Philadelphia,  on  Mat.  5.  17.  being 
my  third  Sermon  on  that  Text ;  and  the  same  Day  at  the  sixth  Hour  at 
Night,  I  preached  there  on  1  Cor.  11.  28. 

^February  7,  Sunday,  1702.  I  preached  at  Chester  in  Pensilvania,  in  the 
New  Church,  on  Mat.  16.  18. 

February  9,  Tuesday.  I  preached  a  second  Sermon  on  the  same  Text  at 
Concord  in  Pensilvania,  at  the  House  of  John  Hanon. 

February  11.  I  preached  a  third  Sermon  on  that  Text  at  the  House  of 
Thomas  Powel  in  Chester  County ;  both  these  Men,  John  Hanon  and  his 
Wife,  and  Thomas  Poioel  and  his  Wife,  had  been  Quakers,  but  are  become 
zealous  Members  of  the  Church,  with  diverse  others  their  Neighbours. 

February  12,  1702.     I  had  a  Dispute  with  Mr.  Killingsworth  an  Ana- 


36  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

"baptist  Preacher,  at  the  House  of  Thomas  Powel,  before  a  great  Auditory. 
The  Subjects  of  our  Dispute  were,  First,  About  Set  Forms  of  Prayer. 
Secondly,  About  the  manner  of  Baptizing,  whether  by  Dipping  or  Sprinkling  ? 
Thirdly,  Whether  Infants  of  Believers  are  proper  Subjects  of  Baptism  ? 
Fourthly,  Concerning  Ordination.  It  had  a  good  Effect  upon  several  present ; 
and  I  hope  upon  himself;  for  by  a  Letter  I  received  sometime  ago  from  Mr. 
Talbot,  this  Mr.  Killingsworth  is  become  well  affected  to  the  Church,  and 
has  proferred  Ground  to  build  a  Church  upon,  and  Wood  to  build  it,  upon 
his  Land  where  he  lives,  at  Salem  in  West  Jersey. 

In  the  first  Week  of  February,  1702,  I  had  a  Meeting  with  the  Separate 
Quakers  and  their  Preachers,  who  left  the  Quakers  Meetings  for  their  gross 
Errors,  and  joined  with  me  about  the  Year  1691.  They  met  at  my  Lodging 
in  Philadelphia,  at  my  Request ;  and  the  next  Week  thereafter,  we  had 
another  Meeting  at  the  same  place.  I  told  them,  that  the  Reason  why  I 
desired  to  have  a  friendly  Meeting  and  Conference  with  them,  was,  that  I 
might  answer  their  Objections  against  their  Conformity  to  the  Church  of 
England,  and  particularly  their  Objections  against  Infants  Baptism :  Also  I 
had  some  Discourse  with  one  of  their  Preachers,  to  convince  him  of  his 
Antinomia.n  Notion,  and  the  great  Error  and  Hurt  of  it,  viz.  That  they  who 
are  in  Christ,  ought  not  to  fear  Hell  in  any  respect,  not  so  much  as  Condi- 
tionally. He  was  very  earnest  and  warm  in  the  Defence  of  it,  and  pressed  it 
very  much,  that  that  matter  should  be  first  discoursed  upon,  thinking  to  have 
some  Advantage  against  me  in  that  Point ;  but  the  Success  proved  the 
contrary,  so  that  his  maintaining  of  it,  offended  diverse  of  his  Hearers,  that 
soon  after  they  left  him,  and  came  over  to  the  Church.  I  asked  him,  If  they 
who  were  in  Christ,  could  possibly  fall  from  that  good  State.  He  said,  they 
might  possibly  fall  from  it.  I  replyed,  then  there  is  the  more  Cause  of  Fear ; 
as  they  who  are  in  a  Castle,  yet  they  have  just  occasion  of  Fear,  conditionally, 
lest  if  they  should  go  out  their  watchful  Enemies  should  destroy  them ;  and 
Fear  is  very  useful  to  them  to  keep  them  within.  And  as  God  Almighty  had 
indued  all  living  Creatures  with  a  natural  Fear,  that  is  of  great  use  to  them  to  pre- 
serve their  natural  Life  ;  so  he  had  indued  all  his  Children  with  a  spiritual  Fear, 
that  is  as  useful  and  as  necessary  to  them  to  preserve  their  spiritual  Life. 
And  as  Hope  is  necessary  to  keep  Men  from  Despair,  so  Fear  is  necessary  to 
keep  them  from  Presumption.  I  mentioned  also  several  Texts  of  Scripture  to 
him,  and  desired  him  to  consider  them,  viz.  Job  31.  24.  1  Cor.  9.  27.  Heb.  4. 
1.  Rom.  8.  31.  But  he  continued  resolute  in  his  erroneous  Opinion.  Next 
we  proceeded  to  discourse  about  other  matters,  as,  What  were  their  Objections 
against  their  Conforming  to  the  Church,  and  against  Infants  Baptism  ?  I 
laboured  very  much,  in  Love,  to  satisfie  them  about  all  those  matters  ;  but  I 
found  they  were  resolute  to  keep  up  their  Separate  Meeting,  though  it  be 
dwindled  away  and  diminished  to  a  very  small  Number  from  what  it  was  at 
the  Beginning,  after  the  Separation,  about  1692,  and  which  continued  several 
Years,  until  a  Church  of  England  Congregation  was  set  up  at  Philadelphia  ; 
soon  after  which,  most  of  that  Party,  both  in  Town  and  Countrey,  and  also 
in  West  and  East-Jersey,  and  some  in  Neiv-York,  came  over  with  good 
Zeal,  and  according  to  good  Knowledge,  to  the  Church,  praised  be  God  for  it. 
February  14,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Philadelphia,  on  Acts  26.  22,  23. 
at  the  Evening  Lecture,  after  Six  at  Night. 


George  KeitKs  Journal.  37 

February  21,  Sunday,  1702.  I  preached  at  Burlington  in  Wdst-Jersey, 
on  Bom.  10.  7,  8,  9.  and  Feb.  22.  I  baptized  the  Wife  of  Mr.  Bob.  Wheeler 
and  his  three  Children,  and  five  others  :  in  all  9  Persons.  He  and  his  Wife 
had  been  Quakers,  but  are  come  over  to  the  Church.  He  did  most  kindly 
and  hospitally  entertain  us  at  his  House,  gratis,  the  several  times  that  we 
travelled  to  and  fro  in  those  Parts :  And  the  like  kind  and  free  Entertain- 
ment he  gives  to  all  Ministers  of  the  Church  that  travel  that  way. 

February  28,  Sunday.     I  preached  at  Philadelphia  on  Mat.  5.  17. 

March  4.  I  had  a  publick  Meeting  at  Philadelphia,  at  the  House  that 
formerly  belonged  to  Zacharia  Whitbane,  to  detect  the  Quakers  Errors,  by 
plain  Quotations  out  of  their  approved  Authors,  particularly  Mr.  Pen's  Sandy 
Foundation  ;  having  before  given  intimation  to  the  chief  Preachers  of  the 
Quakers  at  Philadelphia,  to  defend  their  Principles  and  Authors,  if  they 
could ;  but  none  of  them  would  appear  in  the  Cause.  One  William  Southsby, 
who  is  a  sort  of  Preacher  among  them,  told  the  Auditory,  he  was  not  come 
to  dispute,  but  to  complain  against  me,  that  I  had  said,  he  denied  the 
Resurrection ;  and  he  came  to  clear  himself,  and  desired  leave  to  read  a  short 
Paper,  wherein  he  gave  Account  of  his  Faith  of  the  Resurrection.  After  he 
had  read  his  Paper,  which  contained  some  Words  he  had  Transcribed  out  of 

1  Cor.  15.  and  some  other  Texts  of  Scripture ;  I  asked  him,  Did  he  believe 
the  Resurrection  of  that  Body  of  his  standing  before  us  ?  He  said,  He  would 
not  Answer  to  that  ensnaring  Question.  By  this  it  plainly  appeared  to  the 
Auditory  that  were  not  Quakers,  that  he  did  not  really  believe  the  Resurrec- 
tion of  the  Body,  even  when  he  seemed  to  confess  it,  after  the  manner  of  all 
Hereticks,  who  profess  to  give  their  Faith  in  Scripture  Words,  but  quite 
contrary  to  the  true  and  real  sense  of  the  Scripture,  as  Arius,  Sabellius, 
Nestorius,  Eutyches,  Pelagius,  dx. 

March  7,  1702,  Sunday.     I  Preached  at  Philadelphia,  on  Philip.  2. 13. 

March  10,  1702.  I  had  a  publick  dispute  at  Philadelphia,  with  one 
William  Davis,  who  had  been  formerly  a  Quaker ;  but  some  time  after  he 
left  them,  he  set  up  for  a  new  Sect-Master,  to  draw  Disciples  after  him,  and 
Published  a  Book  full  of  Blasphemous  Notions,  as  that  there  are  three  Gods  ; 
and  that  none  of  these  three  Gods  are  any  where  but  in  Heaven  ;  and  that 
Christ  as  God,  suffered  upon  the  Cross ;  with  diverse  other  gross  Blasphe- 
mies ;  a  particular  Account  of  which,  I  have  given  in  Print,  Bound  up  with 
other  Printed  Tracts,  which  I  did  present  to  the  Honourable  Society. 

March  14,  Sunday.  I  Preached  at  Philadelphia  a  second  Sermon  on 
Phil  2.  12,  13. 

March  21,  Sunday.     I  Preached  at  Philadelphia,  on  2  Cor.  12.  9. 

March  28,  Sunday.     I  Preached  at  Philadelphia  a  second  Sermon  on 

2  Cor.  12.  9. 

April  4,  Sunday.    I  Preached  at  Chester  in  Pensilvania  on  Titus  2, 11,  12. 

April  8,  Thursday.     I  Preached  at  New-Castle,  on  1  Thess.  5.  19. 

April  11,  Sunday,  1703.  I  Preached  at  New- Castle,  on  Jude  20.  Mr. 
Talbot  Preached  there  in  the  Afternoon,  and  Baptized  three  Children  of  Mr. 
James  Claypool  (who  had  been  formerly  a  Quaker)  and  another  Child  of  a 
Churchman.  And  at  our  return  to  New-Castle  from  Virginia,  I  Baptized 
the  said  Mr.  James  Claypool,  he  was  much  afflicted  with  a  Palsie. 

April  1 8, 1 703.    I  Preached  at  York  Toivn,  by  York  River,  on  Acts  20,  2 1 . 


38  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

April  20,  1703.  We  arrived  at  Williamsburg h  in  Virginia,  (having 
come  by  Water  in  a  Sloop,  from  New-Castle  to  York  River)  and  were  very- 
kindly  received  there,  and  entertained  by  Col.  Nicholson,  then  Governour  of 
Virginia. 

April  2 1 ,  Wednesday.  I  Preached  in  Williamsburgh  Church,  before  the 
Convocation  of  the  Clergy  then  Assembled,  on  1  Job.  1.  7. 

April  25,  Sunday.  I  Preached  at  James-Town  on  1  Job.  1.  3.  at  the 
request  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  Blair  Minister  there,  and  Commissary,  who  very 
kindly  and  Hospitally  Entertained  us  at  his  House. 

May  2,  Sunday,  1703.  I  Preached  at  Kicketan  Church  by  James  River, 
on  2  Cor.  3.  18. 

May  4,  Tuesday.  I  Preached  there  the  Thanksgiving  Sermon,  on  Psal. 
18.  48,  49.  the  Minister,  the  Reverend  Mr.  Wallis,  being  then  in  England. 

May  9,  Sunday.  I  Preached  at  a  Chappel  in  Elizabeth  County  in  Vir- 
ginia, on  Psal.  1.  1.  2,  3. 

May  10.     We  took  our  Journey  from  thence  to  North- Carolina. 

May  16,  Whitsunday,  1703.  I  Preached  at  the  House  of  Capt.  Sanders 
in  Corretuk  in  North- Carolina,  on  Rom.  1.  16. 

We  designed  to  have  Travelled  further  into  North- Carolina,  but  there  was 
no  Passage  from  that  Place  by  Land  convenient  to  Travel,  by  reason  of 
Swamps,  and  Marishes  ;  and  we  had  no  way  to  go  by  Water  but  in  a  Canow 
over  a  great  Bay,  many  Miles  over  which  we  essayed  to  do,  but  the  Wind 
continuing  several  Days  contrary,  we  returned  to  Virginia. 

May  23,  Sunday,  1703.  I  Preached  at  the  Church  in  Princess  Anns 
County  in  Virginia,  on  Heb.  12.  1.  and  I  Baptized  Eight  Children  there. 
Mr.  Talbot  Preached  the  same  Day  at  a  Chappel  belonging  to  the  same 
County,  and  Baptized  Ten  Children. 

The  whole  County  is  but  one  Parish,  and  is  about  Fifty  Miles  in  length  ; 
the  People  are  well  affected,  but  they  had  no  Minister,  and  greatly  desire  to 
have  one;  and  as  they  informed  us,  the  Minister's  Salary  being  paid  in 
Tobacco,  (as  it  is  generally  all  over  Virginia  and  Maryland)  the  Tobacco  of 
that  County  was  so  low,  that  it  could  not  maintain  him. 

May  30,  Sunday,  1703.  The  Reverend  Mr.  Blair  Commissary,  Preached 
at  Kicketan,  where  I  was  an  Hearer,  having  no  occasion  that  Day  to  Preach 
any  where  in  that  County. 

June  6,  Sunday.  Mr.  Talbot  Preached  at  Kicketan,  we  stayed  there  about 
Ten  Days,  at  my  Daughters  House  at  Kicketan  by  Jamas  River ;  she  is 
fully  come  off  from  the  Quakers,  and  is  a  zealous  Member  of  the  Church  of 
England,  and  brings  up  her  Children  (so  many  of  them  as  are  capable  through 
Age,)  in  the  Christian  Religion,  Praised  be  God  for  it. 

June  13,  Sunday.  I  Preached  at  the  Church  of  Abington,  on  the  North- 
side  of  York-River,  the  Reverend  Mr.  Smith  is  Minister  there,  and  did  Read 
the  Church  Prayers.  My  Text  was,  1  Thess.  5.  19.  I  lodged  at  Major 
BurrelVs  House,  and  was  kindly  Entertained.  Mr.  Talbot  Preached  at 
Williamsburgh. 

June  2  0,  Sunday.    I  Preached  at  Hampton  Church  in  Virginia,  on  Jam.  1.22. 

June  27,  Sunday.  Mr.  Talbot  Preached  at  York-Town  by  York-River, 
where  I  was  present  with  him ;  we  were  kindly  Entertained  there  at  the 
Collector's  House  several  Days,  waiting  for  Passage  up  Maryland-bay. 


George  Keith' 's  Journal.  39 

June  28,  1703.  We  sailed  in  a  Sloop  from  York-Town,  up  Maryland-bay 
to  West-River ;  the  Master  of  the  Sloop  was  a  Quaker,  whose  Name  is 
Thomas  Sjiarrow.  After  our  Landing,  he  kindly  Entertained  us  at  his  House 
that  Night,  and  refused  to  take  any  thing  either  for  our  Passage  or  Enter- 
tainment at  hisx  House.  And  as  to  our  Provision  on  Board  the  Sloop,  the 
Governour  of  Virginia  sent  us  in  Plenty.  I  had  much  Discourse  and 
Reasoning  with  the  said  Thomas  Sparrow,  both  aboard  the  Sloop,  and  at  his 
House,  especially  about  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  but  he  used  the 
same  evasions  to  the  Texts  of  Scripture  I  brought  for  them,  as  the  Quakers 
commonly  use. 

July  1,  1703.  We  came  to  Annapolis  in  Maryland,  where  we  were 
kindly  received  and  Entertained  by  Esquire  Finch,  then  President  of  Mary- 
land, and  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence  the  Secretary  there.  . 

July  4,  Sunday.  I  Preached  at  Annapolis,  on  1  Thess.  1.  5.  and  had  a 
large  Auditory  well  affected  ;  my  Sermon  at  the  request  of  a  worthy  Person 
who  heard  it,  was  Printed  at  Annapolis,  mostly  at  his  Charge ;  and  Copies 
of  it  sent  by  him,  to  many  parts  of  the  Country.  It  is  Bound  up  with  other 
Printed  Sermons  and  Tracts,  in  the  Book  abovementioned,  which  I  Presented 
to  the  Honourable  Society,  soon  after  my  arrival  into  England. 

July  7,  1703.  At  the  desire  of  some  Persons  of  best  Note  in  that  part  of 
Maryland,  I  went  to  the  Quakers  Meeting  at  Herring-  Creek  in  Maryland,  to 
have  some  friendly  Conference  with  them.  The  aforesaid  Esquire  Finch,  Sir 
Thomas  Lawrence,  and  several  Justices  of  the  Peace,  and  many  Persons  of 
goed  Note,  came  along  with  me  to  the  Quakers  Meeting  there,  and  also  the 
Reverend  Mr.  Hall,  the  Minister  of  the  Parish,  and  diverse  other  Ministers  of 
the  neighbouring  Parishes.  While  the  Quakers  were  all  silent ;  after  some 
time,  I  stood  up  to  speak  among  them,  intending  a  brief  Discourse  on  Job.  7. 
38,  39.  I  had  spoke  but  a  very  few  Sentences,  when  they  interrupted  me 
very  rudely  ;  and  notwithstanding  the  kind  and  gentle  Entreaty  of  Esquire 
Finch  and  some  others  there  present  of  their  kind  Neighbours,  praying  them 
to  hear  me,  by  no  means  would  the  Quakers  suffer  me  to  proceed  in  my 
Discourse.  They  told  the  Auditory,  I  was  none  of  them,  and  they  had 
disowned  me.  I  asked  them  for  what  ?  But  they  would  give  no  Reason  for 
their  so  doing.  One  of  them  stood  up,  and  accused  Mr.  Hall  the  Minister  of 
the  Parish,  and  also  the  Sheriff,  of  Theft ;  And  being  inquired  what  the 
Theft  was,  whereof  he  accused  them.      He  answered,  that  the  Sheriff  had 

given  some  Tobacco  of  his,  to  the  said Hall,  which  was  none  of  his. 

The  Case  was  this.  The  Sheriff  having  a  quantity  of  Tobacco  belonging  to 
this  Quaker  in  his  Custody,  as  is  usual  in  that  Country.  The  Sheriff,  in 
Kindness  and  good  Neighbourhood  to  the  said  Quaker,  rather  than  to 
distrein  upon  him,  according  to  the  Law,  paid  to  Mr.  Hall  so  much  out  of 
the  Quakers  Tobacco,  as  was  due  to  Mr.  Hall  by  the  said  Quaker,  by  an  Act 
of  the  general  Assembly,  and  confirmed  by  the  Queen.  And  when  some 
present  said  to  him,  his  calling  it  Theft,  reflected  on  the  general  Assembly,  he 
still  persisted  in  it,  that  it  was  Theft.  I  did  again  offer  to  Speak,  but  they 
did  interrupt  me  again,  and  abused  me  with  reviling  Speeches  in  meer 
Generals,  as  the  manner  generally  of  the  Quakers  is,  to  all  who  Endeavour  to 
reform  them  from  their  Errors,  and  especially  to  any  who  with  a  good 
Conscience  upon  Divine  Conviction,  have  forsaken  their  Erroneous  ways,  to 


40  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

whom  they  are  most  outragious,  as  the  Jews  were  to  St.  Paul,  after  his 
Conversion  to  Christianity.  The  aforesaid  Persons,  my  worthy  Friends,  who 
came  with  me  to  the  Quakers  Meeting,  finding  that  the  Quakers  would  give 
me  no  hearing  in  their  Meeting,  desired  me  to  Preach  to  them  my  Sermon 
which  I  had  begun  upon,  (but  was  interrupted  by  the  Quakers)  at  a  Chappel 
very  near  to  the  Quakers  Meeting,  where  they  would  gladly  hear  me  before 
they  went  away,  on  that  Subject,  to  which  I  readily  agreed.  Mr.  Hall  the 
Minister  of  the  Parish  did  begin  with  the  Church  Prayers,  and  after  the 
Prayers,  I  Preached  my  Sermon  to  them,  in  the  said  Chappel,  (where  was  a 
great  Auditory  of  both  Men  and  Women)  the  same  in  Matter,  as  near  as  I 
could,  which  I  had  designed  to  deliver  in  the  Quakers  Meeting  ;  for  I  made 
no  use  of  Notes  at  that  time,  knowing  that  if  I  had  used  Notes,  the  Quakers 
would  have  made  the  greater  exceptions,  and  have  said,  I  was  only  a  Minister 
of  the  Letter,  as  their  manner  is  to  object  against  them,  who  make  use  of 
Notes ;  and  I  doubted  not  but  that  God  would  assist  me,  to  deliver  what  was 
proper  and  Edifying,  though  I  had  no  Notes  at  that  Time.  Though  I  oft 
made  use  of  Notes  in  my  Sermons  which  I  Preached,  and  continue  to  do,  and 
I  do  well  approve  of  it. 

The  Matter  which  I  mainly  insisted  upon,  in  my  Discourse  on  that  Text, 
Job.  7.  38,  39.  was,  that  though  we  had  no  Warrant  from  this,  or  any  other 
place  of  Holy  Scripture,  to  expect  those  Miraculous  and  extraordinary  Inspi- 
rations of  the  Spirit  given  to  the  Apostles,  which  enabled  them  to  Preach 
without  Study,  and  to  Speak  with  Tongues  they  had  not  learned  by  Industr}^ 
yet  we  had  sufficient  ground  from  many  Texts  of  Holy  Scripture,  to  believe, 
that  God  continues  to  give  to  all  the  Faithful,  such  plentiful  Inspirations, 
Influences,  and  Assistances  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  as  are  necessary  to  their 
Sanctification,  and  to  their  continual  Growth  and  Progress  therein,  and  to 
enable  them  to  serve  him  acceptably,  and  comfortably,  in  all  Duties  of 
Holiness  and  Righteousness,  and  especially  to  assist  them  in  their  Prayers  and 
Thanksgivings  to  Almighty  God,  in  the  due  Use  of  the  Means  of  Grace ;  and- 
to  assist  the  Ministers  of  his  Word,  in  their  Preaching  and  Praying,  and  in 
all  other  Parts  of  their  Ministerial  Calling. 

And  I  shewed,  that  the  Ministers  and  People  of  the  Church  of  England, 
had  a  better  Belief,  Trust,  and  Hope  of  the  inward  Assistances  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  than  the  Quakers  had,  notwithstanding  the  Quakers  proud  and 
presumptuous  Affirmations  and  Pretensions  to  the  Spirit  above  others.  For 
(said  I)  the  Quakers,  and  the  Quaker  Preachers,  have  such  a  Distrust  of  the 
Spirit's  Assistance  to  pray,  or  give  Thanks  vocally,  that  they  think,  or  pretend 
they  oft  have  it  not :  and  for  that  Reason  given  by  them,  they  oft  neither 
pray  in  their  Families,  nor  at  their  Meals.  And  for  want  of  the  Spirits 
Motion  and  Assistance,  as  they  pretend  and  profess,  so  as  to  enable  them, 
either  to  Preach  or  Pray  in  audible  Words,  they  used  to  have  many  silent 
Meetings,  where  one  Word  is  not  uttered  among  them  from  first  to  last ;  and 
in  many  Places  they  have  them  still.  And  it  is  certain,  that  generally  in  the 
Quakers  Families,  there  is  no  vocal  Prayer  used  at  all,  and  rarely,  even  in 
their  Preachers  Families.  But  none  of  them  use  constant  Prayer  in  their 
Families,  either  twice  or  once  a  Day,  that  ever  I  heard  of,  and  some  not  once 
in  a  Year,  in  the  Family,  whatever  they  do  in  their  Publick  Meetings  for 
Ostentation.     The  Reason  of  this  Omission,  which  they  think  not  to  be  any 


George  KeitKs  Journal.  41 

Sin,  is,  that  the  Spirit  doth  not  move  or  assist  them.  But  what  Spirit  is 
that,  but  a  Spirit  of  Ostentation  and  Vain-Glory,  that  moves  them  so  fre- 
quently to  pray  in  their  Publick  Meetings,  and  so  rarely,  not  once  in  a  Year, 
in  their  Families  ?  Now  whence  doth  this  proceed,  that  they  pray  so  seldom 
in  their  Families  and  in  some  of  their  Meetings,  but  either  from  their  great 
Distrust,  (as  is  said)  or  from  a  political  Contrivance  of  their  first  Authors,  the 
more  to  make  their  Proselytes  believe,  they  waited  for  some  extraordinary 
Inspiration  and  Impulse :  For  they  had  wont  to  say,  That  they  who  could 
pray  or  preach  at  set  Times,  have  not  the  true  Gift  of  Prayer  or  Preaching. 
And  yet  it  is  sufficiently  known,  that  many  of  them  are  arrived  at  that 
Confidence,  to  preach  and  pray  in  their  way  of  Rhapsody,  at  any  time,  in  their 
Meetings  ;  and  they  have  their  ordinary  Set-times,  especially  at  London, 
when  to  begin  and  when  to  end ;  so  that  if  any  of  their  Preachers  happen  to 
transgress  the  ordinary  time,  they  oft  get  some  Reprimand.  Such  of  them 
who  had  not  arrived  at  this  Confidence  and  Conceit  of  their  Ability,  to  preach 
or  pray  at  any  time,  except  when  the  Spirit  moves  them,  I  compared  them  to 
a  Mill  that  stands  by  a  small  Brook,  or  Run  of  Water,  that  has  oft  so  little 
Water  as  cannot  make  the  Wheels  of  the  Mill  to  go,  till  there  come  afresh, 
they  knew  not  when. 

Whereas  the  Faithful  of  the  Church  of  England,  both  Ministers  and 
People,  and  in  all  true  Christian  Churches,  have  no  such  Distrust  of  the 
Assistance  of  the  blessed  Spirit  of  God,  but  believe  that  blessed  Spirit  will 
never  be  wanting  to  them,  to  give  them  his  Assistance  in  some  Measure  and 
Degree,  more  or  less,  according  to  his  good  Pleasure ;  sufficient  to  enable 
them  to  perform  all  requisite  Duties  unto  God  acceptably. 

Another  thing  I  insisted  upon  from  the  Words  of  the  Text,  was,  That  these 
inward  Aids  and  Assistances  of  the  Holy  Spirit  given  to  the  Faithful,  were 
only  promised  to  them  who  believed  sincerely  in  Jesus  Christ,  both  God  and 
Man,  who  is  now  in  Heaven  without  us,  our  blessed  Mediator  and  Intercessor 
with  the  Father ;  and  who  believe  that  he  is  to  come  in  his  Glorified  Body, 
the  same  in  Substance  he  had  on  Earth,  (in  which  he  suffered  Death  for  our 
Sins)  to  be  the  Judge  both  of  the  Quick  and  Dead,  at  his  Coming  and 
Appearing  visibly  without  us,  as  really  as  he  visibly  ascended  into  Heaven,  in 
the  Sight  of  his  Disciples.  And  that  therefore  the  Quakers  who  generally 
have  not  this  Belief  in  Jesus  Christ,  as  above  declared,  (as  hath  been  fully 
and  evidently  proved,  and  can  still  be  proved  out  of  the  printed  Books  of  their 
noted  Authors.)  But  instead  of  the  true  Christian  Faith  in  Jesus  Christ 
(according  as  the  Holy  Scripture  hath  set  him  forth)  have  set  up  a  Belief 
only  in  the  Light  within  them,  as  the  said  Light  is  in  all  Men.  These,  I  say, 
can  lay  no  Claim  to  any  such  Assistances  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  are  only 
promised  to  sincere  Believers  in  Jesus  Christ,  according  to  the  Words  of  the 
Text,  Job.  1.  38,  39.  He  that  believes  in  me,  out  of  his  Belly  shall  flow 
Rivers  of  living  Water.  But  this  spake  he  of  the  Spirit,  which  they  that 
believe  on  him  should  receive,  (to  wit,  that  very  Man  which  they  both  saw 
with  their  outward  Eyes,  and  heard  with  their  outward  Ears)  who,  as  he  WM 
visible  as  Man,  yet  was  invisible  as  he  was  God  :  And  that  it  is  said  in  the 
following  Words,  The  Holy  Ghost  was  not  yet  given,  because  that  Jesus  was 
not  yet  glorified :  that  is,  He  was  not  given,  until  after  His  Ascension,  either 
in  that  Plenty  and  Variety  of  miraculous  Gifts,  or  in  that  Plenty  and  large 


42  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

Measure  of  the  ordinary  Gifts  and  Graces  of  the  Spirit,  as  were  after  wards  to 
be  given  to  the  Faithful  after  his  Ascension. 

July  10,  Saturday.  I  preached  at  Herring-Creek  Church,  at  the  Request 
of  Mr.  Hall  the  Minister,  on  the  two  Sacraments,  my  Text  was,  1  Cor. 
12,  13. 

July  11,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Mr.  Colbactts  Church  in  the  next  Parish 
a  second  Sermon  on  Job.  1.  38,  39. 

July  14.  1  crossed  Maryland-Bay  over  to  the  Eastern  Shore,  accom- 
panied with  Mr.  Hall  abovementioned,  from  Annapolis  to  Kent-Island :  We 
had  a  fair  and  easie  Passage,  in  the  Space  of  three  Hours.  Mr.  Talbot  had 
gone  up  the  Western  Shore  to  preach  at  several  Places  on  that  side,  and  after 
some  time  to  come  to  me. 

July  15.  We  travelled  from  Kent-Island  to  the  House  of  the  Reverend 
Mr.  Lilingstone,  where  we  were  kindly  entertained  some  Days. 

July  18,  Sunday.  .  I  preached  at  Mr.  Lilingston's  Church  in  Talbot  County, 
on  Eph.  2.  10,  and  had  a  great  Auditory,  and  well  affected. 

July  21,  Wednesday.  I  preached  at  Mr.  Bourdhfs  Church,  on  Rom. 
1 0.  V,  8,  9.  and  had  a  great  Auditory,  and  were  kindly  entertained  at  his 
House. 

July  25,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  the  Church  of  Shrewsbury  in  Maryland, 
on  1  Cor.  3.  11,  12.  where  was  a  large  Auditory  out  of  diverse  Parishes: 
But  that  Parish  of  Shrewsbury  had  no  Minister,  nor  have  had  for  some 
considerable  Time  past.  We  were  kindly  entertained  by  Mr.  Blays  at  his 
House  in  that  Parish,  some  Days.  On  Sunday  in  the  Evening,  I  had  some 
Discourse  with  a  Quaker  who  came  from  London  and  sold  Goods  to  the 
Planters,  for  Tobabco.  I  found  him  so  extream  ignorant,  that  I  could  not 
perswade  him,  that  our  Blessed  Saviour,  as  he  was  Man,  had  a  created  Soul. 
I  asked  him,  If  he  himself  had  a  created  Soul  ?  This  also  he  denied.  I 
mentioned  that  place  of  Scripture  to  him,  The  Soul  that  Sinneth  shall  die: 
And  could  a  Soul  sin,  that  was  not  created?  If  the  Soul  of  Man  be  not 
created,  it  must  be  God,  and  God  could  not  Sin.  But  no  Reasons  can 
prevail  with  them,  however  so  plain,  who  are  given  up  to  strong  Delusion,  as 
indeed  they  too  generally  are.  This  Discourse  I  had  with  him  in  the  Hear- 
ing of  another  Quaker,  who  came  with  him,  at  the  House  of  Mr.  Blay,  who 
was  present. 

July  28.  I  crossed  Sasafrax-River,  (Mr.  Hall  having  gone  home)  and 
came  that  Day  to  the  Reverend  Mr.  Sewils,  Minister  of  Cecil-County  in 
Maryland,  where  Mr.  Talbot  came  to  me.  Mr.  Sewil  kindly  entertained  us 
at  his  House,  and  accompanied  us  to  the  Mannor,  by  Bohemia  River,  where 
we  lodged,  and  were  kindly  entertained  by  the  Master  of  the  House,  who 
was  a  German. 

July  29.  We  came  from  thence  to  New-Castle,  by  Delaware-River,  and 
were  kindly  entertained  at  the  House  of  Mr.  Robert  French,  some  Days. 

August  1,  1703,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  New-Castle,  on  Heb.  5.  9.  and 
had  a  large  Auditory  of  English,  and  some  Dutch  :  They  have  had  a  Church 
lately  built,  and  the  Reverend  Mr.  Rosse,  a  Missionary  from  the  Honourable 
Society,  has  been  sent  to  them,  which  they  greatly  desired. 

August  2.  I  came  to  Upland,  alias  Chester,  by  Delaware-River,  Mr. 
Talbot  having  gone  before  to  preach  there,  August  1. 


George  Keith's  Journal.  43 

August  3,  Tuesday.  I  preached  in  the  Church  at  Chester,  a  second 
Sermon  on  Titus  2.  11,  12,  13,  14.  and  had  a  considerable  Auditory:  we 
were  kindly  entertained  at  the  House  of  Mr.  Jasper  Teates  there. 

August  4.  We  came  from  Chester  to  Philadelphia,  where  we  were 
kindly  received  and  entertained  by  our  Friends,  and  especially  by  Mistress 
Welch,  at  whose  House  we  again  lodged  as  formerly. 

August  8.  Mr.  Talbot  preached  in  the  Forenoon  at  Philadelphia,  and  I 
preached  there  in  the  Afternoon,  on  2  Cor.  12.  9. 

August  15,  Sunday.     I  Preached  at  Philadelphia  on  1  Job.  5.  3. 

August  22,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  the  New  Church  at  Burlington,  on  2 
Sam.  23.  3,  4.  My  Lord  Cornbury  was  present  and  many  Gentlemen  who 
accompanied  him,  both  from  New-York,  and  the  two  Jerseys,  having  had 
his  Commission  to  be  Governour  of  West  and  East-Jersey,  Read  at  the 
Town- House  there,  some  Days  before.  It  was  the  first  Sermon  that  was 
Preached  in  that  Church. 

August  29,  Sunday.  I  preached  again  at  the  Church  in  Burlington,  on 
Jam.  1.  22. 

Sept.  5,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Philadelphia,  on  Acts  2.  41,  42.  being 
Sacrament  Day. 

Sept.  12,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  the  Church  in  Burlington,  a  Second 
Sermon,  on  Jam.  1.  22.  Mr.  Talbot  preached  that  Day  at  Chester  in 
Pensilvania. 

Sept.  15.     I  preached  at  Will.  Hewlins  in  West- Jersey,  on  Tit.  2.  11. 

Sept.  19,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Philadelphia  in  the  Afternoon,  on 
Mat.  16.  6. 

Sept.  21,  Tuesday.  I  preached  at  Philadelphia,  on  Jude  3.  This  week 
being  the  time  of  the  Quakers  yearly  Meeting  at  Philadelphia,  the  Minister 
of  Philadelphia,  the  Reverend  Mr.  Evans,  with  the  consent  of  the  Vestry, 
having  agreed  together  with  us,  to  have  both.  Prayers  and  Sermons  at  the 
Church  in  Philadelphia,  all  the  Days  that  the  Quakers  had  their  Meetings  in 
that  Week,  which  use  to  continue  three  Days  ;  there  happens  commonly  in 
that  Week  to  be  a  great  concourse  of  People  at  Philadelphia,  not  only 
Quakers,  but  also  of  many  others,  as  at  some  great  Fair. 

Sept.  21,  Tuesday.  Mr.  Talbot  went  to  the  Quakers  Meeting  at  Phila- 
delphia, that  met  at  the  New  Meeting-House,  called,  the  BancTc-Meeting, 
about  9  of  the  Clock  in  the  Forenoon,  and  began  to  read  a  Paper  to  them 
which  I  had  Writ,  containing  some  Observations  on  the  Attestation,  taken 
and  Signed  by  some  of  the  most  noted  Quakers  in  West-Jersey,  in  order  to 
their  being  made  Members  of  the  Council  in  the  Province  of  West  and  East- 
Jersey.  The  Quakers  were  so  rude,  that  they  pushed  him  on  the  Breast,  and 
drove  him  by  violence  from  the  threshold  of  the  Door,  where  he  stood ;  yet 
he  continued  Reading,  till  he  had  finished  it ;  but  by  the  Tumult  that  the 
Quakers  raised  he  was  little  heard.  After  which,  I  went  in  to  their  Meeting- 
House,  and  stood  up  on  a  Bench  to  Read  it  in  their  hearing  within  doors,  but 
I  had  scarce  read  three  Lines,  till  a  Quaker,  whose  Name  I  spare,  pulled  it 
out  of  my  Hand  with  great  violence,  and  some  of  them  overturned  the  Bench 
I  stood  upon,  but  I  had  no  hurt,  Praised  be  God ;  for  as  I  was  falling,  some 
that  were  not  Quakers  supported  me  with  their  shoulders  till  my  Feet  gently 
touched  the  Ground ;  another  Person  that  was  no  Quaker,  pulling  the  said 


44  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

Paper  out  of  the  Quakers  hand,  it  was  torn  in  two  pieces  betwixt  them  ;  but 
by  the  order  of  a  Justice  of  Peace,  who  was  no  Quaker,  the  Quaker  returned 
to  me  that  torn  piece  of  the  Paper  which  he  had  kept.  Of  this  Rude  and 
Disorderly  Carriage  of  the  Quakers  at  the  said  Place,  the  said  Bay,  diverse 
Persons  of  good  Credit  gave  an  Affidavit  before  a  Justice  of  Peace  at  Phila- 
delphia. I  need  not  here  recite  the  Contents  of  my  Observations  on  these 
Quakers  Attestation,  for  the  like  Observations  have  been  made  by  another 
hand,  and  published  in  Print  lately,  in  these  American  parts,  and  perhaps 
may  be  Reprinted  at  London  ere  long. 

Sept.  26,  Sunday.  I  preached  in  Burlington  Church,  a  third  Sermon,  on 
Jam.  1.  22.  in  the  Forenoon,  and  Mr.  Talbot  in  the  Afternoon. 

October  3,  Sunday.  I  preached  in  Burlington  Church,  on  Ileb.  8.  10,  11, 
12.  both  Forenoon,  and  Afternoon,  and  read  the  Prayers  before  Sermon. 

October  10,  Sunday,  1703.  I  preached  at  Toponemes  in  Freehold  in 
East-Jersey,  on  Acts  2.  41,  42.  and  had  a  considerable  Auditory,  diverse  of 
them  late  Converts  from  Quakerism  to  the  Church.  Mr.  Innesse  above- 
mentioned  did  read  the  Prayers.  Mr.  Talbot  staid  to  preach  in  several 
places  in  Pensilvania,  and  West-Jersey,  for  some  time. 

October  17,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Shrewsbury  near  the  Quakers 
Meeting  there,  on  Psal.  103.  17,  18. 

October  24,  Sunday.  I  preached  again  there,  on  Heb.  8.  10,  11.  And 
Mr.  Innesse  Baptized  two  Men  and  a  Child. 

October  31,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Amboy  in  East- Jersey,  on  Titus  2. 11, 
12,  13,  14. 

November  3.  I  preached  at  And.  Craig^s  in  the  Township  of  Elizabeth 
Town,  on  2  Pet.  1.  5.  and  Baptized  his  Four  Children. 

November  4.  I  Baptized  the  Children  of  Andrew  Hemton,  eight  in 
Number ;  He  and  his  Wife  are  come  over  from  Quakerism  to  the  Church. 
And  November  3,  I  Baptized  Seven  Children  of  a  Widow  Woman  there. 

November  7,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  New-York,  on  Acts  2.  42.  and  that 
Sermon  was  soon  after  Printed  at  New-York,  at  the  desire  of  some  who 
heard  it,  and  did  contribute  to  the  Charge  of  its  Printing. 

November  14,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Jamaica  on  Long-Island,  on  Heb. 
8.  9,  10. 

November  17,  Wednesday.  I  preached  at  Oysterbay  on  Long-Island,  on 
Jude  20,  21.  And  Novemb.  19.  there  I  Baptized  Mrs.  White,  W^ife  to  Mr. 
Edward  White,  and  all  his  Children,  viz.  three  Sons  and  five  Daughters. 
He  and  his  Wife  were  formerly  Quakers,  but  are  come  over  to  the  Church. 
And  the  same  Day  I  Baptized  Mrs.  Jones,  Wife  to  Captain  Jones  of  that 
Township. 

November  20,  Saturday.  At  Oysterbay,  I  Baptized  John  Townsend,  a 
Justice  of  Peace,  and  his  three  Children.  And  Mr.  Nathaniel  Cole,  and  his 
Wife,  and  his  three  Children.  There  had  scarce  been  any  Profession  of  the 
Christian  Religion  among  the  People  of  that  Town ;  they  had  scarce  any 
Notion  of  Religion  but  Quakerism :  The  Quakers  had  formerly  a  Meeting 
there,  but  many  of  them  who  lived  in  that  Town,  became  Followers  of  Thomas 
Chase  (not  the  Thomas  Chase  of  Hampton  in  New-England  abovementioned) 
and  were  called,  Chase's  Crew,  who  set  up  a  new  sort  of  Quakerism,  and 
among  other  Vile  Principles,  they  condemned  Marriage,  and  said,  it  was  of 


George  KeitKs  Journal.  45 

the  Devil,  perverting  that  Text  of  Scripture,  The  Children  of  the  Resurrection 
neither  Marry,  nor  are  given  in  Marriage  ;  and  they  said  they  were  the 
Children  of  the  Resurrection  ;  and  indeed,  as  the  Author  of  the  Snake  in  the 
Grass  has  well  observed  ;  This  Mad  sort  of  Quakers,  called  Chase's  Crew,  did 
but  consequentially  practice,  what  the  followers  of  George  Fox  held  very 
generally  in  Principle,  viz.  that  they  were  come  already  to  the  Resurrection, 
and  had  their  vile  Bodies  already  changed  ;  so  George  Fox  has  expressly 
Taught  in  Print,  in  a  Printed  Treatise  of  his  about  the  Supper,  where  he  will 
have  the  Lord's  Supper  now  to  be  only  inward. 

November  21,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Hampsted  Church  on  Long-Island, 
on  1  Pet.  2.  9.  and  Lodged  that  Night  at  Isaac  Smith's  House,  Four  Miles 
distant  from  the  Church,  and  there  I  Baptized  a  Young- Woman  of  his 
Family,  and  a  Boy,  and  a  Girl  of  his  Relations,  and  a  Neighbours  Child,  a 
Boy.  This  Isaac  Smith  had  been  formerly  a  Quaker,  and  was  scarce  then 
fully  come  off,  but  came  and  heard  me  Preach,  and  was  well  affected,  and  did 
kindly  Entertain  me. 

November  28,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  New-York  on  1  Cor.  12.  13.  and 
that  Sermon  also  was  Printed  at  New-York,  at  the  desire  of  some  who  heard 
it,  and  contributed  to  the  Charge  of  Printing  it ;  and  by  the  Blessing  of  God, 
both  these  printed  Sermons  have  been  serviceable  to  many  in  these  American 
Parts,  and  to  some  also  in  England,  to  reclaim  them  from  their  erroneous 
Opinions  about  the  two  Sacraments,  Baptism  and  the  Lord's-Supper. 

December  5,  Sunday,  1703.  I  preached  at  New-York,  on  John  12. 
35,  36. 

December  12,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Amboy,  at  my  Lord  Cornburtfs 
Lodging,  where  he  wTas  present,  and  many  with  him.  My  Text  was  John 
12.  35,^36. 

December  19,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  the  House  of  Col.  Tounjly  in 
Elizabeth-Town,  both  Forenoon  and  Afternoon,  on  1  Pet.  2.  9.  Many  of 
that  Town  having  been  formerly  a  sort  of  Independents,  are  become  well 
affected  to  the  Church  of  England,  and  desire  to  have  a  Minister  of  the 
Church  of  England  sent  to  them:  There  I  baptized  a  Child  of  Mr. 
Shakmaple. 

December  25,  Christmas-day.  I  preached  at  Amboy  in  East- Jersey,  on 
1  Tim.  3.  16. 

December  26,  Sunday.  Mr.  Talbot  preached  there  on  Psal.  125.  and 
baptized  a  Young  Man,  called  John  Brown,  who  had  a  Quaker  Education, 
and  a  Young  Woman. 

December  21,  1703.  I  preached  at  Capt.  Bishops  by  Ravai-River  in 
East- Jersey,  on  Jude  20.  and  baptized  a  Child  of  Robert  Wright. 

December  29,  Wednesday.  I  preached  at  the  Independents  Meeting- 
House  in  Woodbridge,  at  the  Desire  of  Mr.  Shepherd,  and  some  others  there, 
on  1  Tim.  3.  16.  After  Sermon  Mr.  Shepherd  kindly  entertained  us  at  his 
House. 

December  30,  Thursday.  I  preached  at  Piscataway  in  East-Jersey,  on 
Rom.  10.  6,  7,  8,  9. 

January  2,  Sunday.     I  preached  at  Amboy  on  Heb.  8.  10,  11. 
January  9,  Sunday.     I  preached  at  the  House  of  Dr.  Johnston  on  Nether- 
sinks,  on  Psal.  119.  V.  113.  and  had  a  considerable  Auditory. 


46  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

January  16,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Mr.  Morris  House  at  the  Falls  of 
Shreiosbury  in  East- jersey,  on  2  Cor.  5.  17. 

January  23,  Sunday.    I  preached  again  at  Mr.  Morris  House  on  2  Pet.  1.  5. 

January  30,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  the  House  of  Mr.  Thomas  Boels  in 
Freehold  in  East- Jersey,  on  1  Cor.  15.  58. 

February  6,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  the  House  of  Mr.  John  Read  in 
Freehold  in  East-Jersey,  on  PsaJ.  119.  96. 

February  13,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Burlington  Church  in  West- Jersey, 
on  1  Cor.  15.  58. 

February  20,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Philadelphia  both  Forenoon  and 
Afternoon,  on  P sal.  119.  96,  97. 

February  27,  Sunday,  1704.  I  preached  at  Trinity -Chappel  at  Franck- 
fort  (alias  Oxford)  in  Pensilvania,  on  1  c/bAn  2.  24.  As  I  returned  from 
Franckfort  to  Philadelphia,  that  very  Day,  about  the  4£A  Hour  in  the  After- 
noon, being  Sunday,  both  I  and  those  in  company  with  me,  observed  that  a 
Corn-Mill  belonging  to  some  Quakers  was  Grinding,  which  they  told  me,  is 
very  common  there. 

March  5,  Sunday,  1704.  I  preached  at  Philadelphia,  on  Luke  2.  29,  30, 
31,  32,  in  the  Afternoon. 

March  12,  Sunday.     I  preached  at  Philadelphia  on  1  Tim.  2.  1,  2. 

March  16,  Thursday.  I  preached  at  Trinity- Chappel  at  Franckfort,  on 
1  Tim.  2.  1,  2. 

March  19,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Philadelphia  a  second  Sermon  on 
1  Tim.  2.  2,  3,  4. 

March  26,  Sunday,  1704.  I  preached  both  Forenoon  and  Afternoon,  at 
Burlington  Church,  on  1  Cor.  15.  58.  two  other  Sermons,  being  my  last  I 
preached  there. 

April  2,  Sunday,  1704.  I  preached  at  Philadelphia  on  John  4.  24.  being 
my  last  Sermon  I  preached  there. 

After  my  Return  from  East-Jersey  to  Philadelphia,  about  the  middle  of 
February  1703.  for  the  Space  of  Six  Weeks,  I  remained  mostly  at  Phila- 
delphia, and  was  very  kindly  and  hospitally  entertained  by  Mr.  Joshua  Carpen- 
ter, at  his  House,  where  I  lodged  all  that  time,  until  I  began  my  Journey 
from  Philadelphia  towards  Virginia,  to  take  Passage  for  my  Return  to 
England.  Mrs.  Welch,  with  whom  I  lodged  formerly,  having  been  Sick  and 
Weak  all  that  time  ;  but  some  time  after  it  pleased  God  to  restore  her  to 
Health. 

During  the  most  part  of  Winter,  in  the  Year  1703.  Mr.  Talbot,  by  my  free 
Consent,  did  travel  in  diverse  other  Parts  in  Pensilvania,  West  and  East- 
Jersey,  Preaching  and  Baptizing  many  in  those  Parts  where  I  was  not  with 
him.  For  the  greater  Service  of  God  and  his  Church,  we  did  oft  travel 
separately,  (being  still  one  in  Heart  and  Affection)  and  I  had  very  good 
Friends  that  travelled  with  me  in  his  Absence,  to  accompany  me  from  place 
to  place,  in  all  those  places  where  I  travelled. 

April  9,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Chester  Church  in  Pensilvania,  on  John 
4.  24.  being  my  last  Sermon  there. 

April  12,  Wednesday.     I  preached  at  Newcastle,  on  Jude  20. 

April  16,  Easter-Sunday.  Mr.  Talbot  preached  at  Mr.  Bourdltfs  Church 
in  Maryland,  where  I  had  preached  before  July  21,  1703. 


George  Keith? s  Journal.  47 

April  23,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Annapolis  in  Maryland,  Col.  Seamour 
Governour  of  Maryland,  being  present,  who  very  kindly  entertained  us  at  his 
House  both  then  and  at  other  times,  during  our  Abode  there,  as  we  waited 
for  Passage  down  Maryland-Bay  to  James-River  in  Virginia. 

Mr.  Talbot  accompanied  me  from  Philadelphia  to  Annapolis  in  Maryland, 
where  with  true  Love  and  Affection,  we  did  take  our  Farewell  of  one  another, 
and  he  returned  to  serve  God  and  his  Church,  as  formerly,  especially  in 
Pensilvania,  West  and  East-Jersey,  where  he  was  like  to  have  the  greatest 
Service  and  Success :  And  some  time  ago,  the  Right  Reverend  Henry,  Lord 
Bishop  of  London,  has  writ  to  him  to  fix  at  Burlington,  to  be  Minister  of  the 
Church  there,  where  is  now  a  large  Congregation ;  and  where,  not  long  ago, 
there  was  little  else  but  Quakerism  or  Heathenism. 

April  26,  1704.  I  sailed  down  Maryland- Bay  to  Virginia,  in  Captain 
Pulmari's  Ship,  who  very  kindly  entertained  me  and  Mr.  John  Barclay,  my 
good  Friend  with  me :  He,  in  true  Love  and  Affection,  travelled  with  me 
from  his  dwelling  House  at  Amboy  in  East-Jersey,  to  James-River  in 
Virginia,  and  he  staid  with  me  until  he  saw  me  aboard  the  Ship,  June  8. 
where  we  took  our  Farewell. 

May  2,  1704.  We  arrived  at  Kickctan  by  James-River,  and  staid  some 
Days  at  the  House  of  my  Son  in  Law  there. 

May  7,  Sunday.  I  preached  at  Williamsburgh  Church  in  Virginia,  on 
1  Tim.  2.  3,  4.  Col.  Nicolson,  then  Governour  of  Virginia,  being  present, 
who  kindly  entertained  us. 

May  14,  Sunday.  I  heard  Mr.  Grace  preach  in  Kicketan  Church,  on 
Luke  23.  43. 

May  21,  Sunday,  1704.     I  preached  at  Kicketan  on  Acts  20.  21. 

May  28,  Sunday.  I  preached  in  the  Queen's  Ship,  called,  Dread-Nought, 
Capt.  Evans  Commodore  to  the  Virginia  Fleet  bound  for  England. 

June  4,  Whitsunday.  I  preached  again  in  the  Commodore-Ship,  on 
Job.  16.  7. 

June  8.  I  came  aboard  the  Commodore,  and  was  kindly  and  generously 
entertained  by  Capt.  Evans  at  his  Table,  all  the  Voyage,  gratis,  and  I  lodged 
(near  to  him)  in  the  great  Cabin. 

August  6,  1704.  We  arrived  safe  at  the  Downs,  praised  be  God  our 
Preserver. 

August  6.  Having  taken  my  Leave  of  Captain  Evans  at  the  Downs,  I 
came  aboard  a  Merchant-Ship,  whose  Commander  was  Captain  James  Thomas, 
and  sailed  in  his  Ship  until  we  arrived  into  the  Thames,  about  ten  miles  from 
London,  being  kindly  entertained  by  him  :  And  that  Evening,  being  the  14th 
of  August,  I  came  to  my  Family  in  London,  safe  and  well,  notwithstanding 
of  the  false  Prophecy  of  some  of  the  Quakers,  That  I  should  never  see  England 
any  more,  after  my  Departure  out  of  it,  in  April,  1702.  The  abovementioned 
Captain  James  Thomas,  my  good  Friend,  some  Years  ago  came  off  from 
Quakerism  (wherein  he  was  educated)  and  his  Wife  also,  and  are  come  over 
to  the  Church.  He  was  baptized  above  three  Years  ago,  by  the  Reverend 
Mr.  Stubs,  in  St.  Alphage  Church  by  Z  ion- College,  whereof  he  is  Minister; 
to  whose  Baptism  I  was  one  of  the  Witnesses. 

Thus  I  have  given  an  entire  Journal  of  my  two  Years  Missionary  Travel 
and  Service,  on  the  Continent  of  North-America,  betwixt  Piscataway-River 


48  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

in  New-England,  and  Coretuck  in  North  Carolina ;  of  extent  in  Length 
about  Eight  hundred  Miles  ;  within  which  Bounds  are  Ten  distinct  Colonies 
and  Governments,  all  under  the  Crown  of  England,  viz.  Piscataway,  Boston, 
Rhod-Island,  Connecticut,  New-York,  East  and  West- Jersey,  Pensilvania, 
Maryland,  Virginia,  and  North- Carolina. 

I  travelled  twice  over  most  of  those  Governments  and  Colonies,  and  I 
preached  oft  in  many  of  them,  particularly  in  Pensilvania,  West  and  East- 
Jersey,  and  New-York  Provinces,  where  we  continued  longest,  and  found  the 
greatest  Occasion  for  our  Service. 

As  concerning-  the  Success  of  me,  and  my  Fellow-Labourer  Mr.  John  Talbofs 
Ministry,  in  the  Places  where  we  travelled,  I  shall  not  say  much  ;  yet  it  is 
necessary  that  something  be  said,  to  the  Glory  of  God  alone,  to  whom  it 
belongs,  and  to  the  Encouragement  of  others,  who  may  hereafter  be  imployed 
in  the  like  Service. 

In  all  the  places  where  we  travelled  and  preached,  we  found  the  People 
generally  well  affected  to  the  Doctrine  that  we  preached  among  them,  and 
they  did  generally  join  with  us  decently  in  the  Liturgy,  and  Publick  Prayers, 
and  Administration  of  the  Holy  Sacraments,  after  the  Usage  of  the  Church 
of  England,  as  we  had  Occasion  to  use  them. 

And  where  Ministers  were  wanting,  (as  there  were  wanting  in  many 
Places)  the  People  earnestly  desired  us  to  present  their  Request  to  the 
Honourable  Society,  to  send  Ministers  unto  them,  which  accordingly  I  have 
done :  and  in  answer  to  their  Request,  the  Society  has  sent  to  such  Places  as 
seemed  most  to  want,  a  considerable  Number  of  Missionaries. 

Beside  the  general  Success  we  had,  (praised  be  God  for  it)  both  in  our 
Preaching,  and  much  and  frequent  Conference  with  People  of  diverse  Perswa- 
sions,  many  of  which  had  been  wholly  Strangers  to  the  Way  of  the  Church 
of  England ;  who,  after  they  had  observed  it  in  the  Public  Prayers,  and 
reading  the  Lessons  out  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ment, and  the  Manner  of  the  Administration  of  Baptism,  and  the  Lord's 
Supper,  were  greatly  affected  with  it,  and  some  of  which  declared  their  great 
Satisfaction  and  the  Esteem  they  had  of  the  Solemn  and  edifying  manner  of 
our  Worship  and  Administration,  for  above  whatever  they  could  observe  in 
other  Ways  of  Worship  known  to  them. 

To  many,  our  Ministry  was  as  the  sowing  the  Seed  and  Planting,  who, 
probably,  never  so  much  as  heard  one  orthodox  Sermon  preached  to  them, 
before  we  came  and  preached  among  them,  who  received  the  AVord  with 
Joy  ;  and  of  whom  we  have  good  Hope,  that  they  will  be  as  the  good 
Ground,  That  bringeth  forth  Fruit,  some  Thirty,  some  Sixty,  and  some  an 
Hundred  Fold.  And  to  many  others  it  wras  a  Watering  to  what  had  been 
formerly  Sown  and  Planted  among  them ;  some  of  the  good  Fruit  whereof 
we  did  observe,  to  the  Glory  of  God,  and  our  great  Comfort,  while  we  were 
with  them,  even  such  Fruits  of  true  Piety  and  good  Lives,  and  sober  and 
righteous  Living,  as  prove  the  Trees  to  be  good  from  which  they  did  proceed. 

Many  or  most  of  those  who  had  born  the  Name  of  Separatist  Quakers 
(for  their  leaving  the  Meetings  of  the  Quakers,  because  of  their  Opposition  to 
the  great  Fundamentals  of  the  Christian  Faith,  and  had  embraced  the 
Doctrine  they  heard  preached  by  me,  concerning  the  Way  of  Salvation  by 
Faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  both  God  and  Man,  as  he  outwardly  came  in  the  Flesh, 


George  KeitKs  Journal,  49 

died  for  our  Sins,  and  rose  again,  <fec.  about  the  Years  1001  and  1692,  and 
had  set  up  distinct  Meetings),  we  found  had  joined  with  the  Church  of 
England  Congregation  at  Philadelphia,  before  our  Arrival,  when  we  came 
among  them  :  they  received  us  with  great  Joy  and  Satisfaction  to  hear  us 
preach  what  tended  to  their  farther  Confirmation  in  the  Christian  Faith,  and 
in  Communion  with  the  Church  of  England.  And  they  expressed  the  great 
Benefit  they  had  received  by  my  several  Epistles  I  wrote  to  them  "from 
London,  about  the  Years  1G08  and  1690,  to  answer  the  Scruples  and 
Objections  some  of  them  had  made  to  me  in  some  of  their  Letters,  against 
joining  with  the  Church  of  England,  which  they  told  me,  gave  them  great 
Satisfaction,  by  the  Blessing  of  God,  to  join  with  the  Church,  and  with  which 
they  joined  soon  after.  And  the  like  Service  my  Epistles  did  to  others  of 
their  Friends,  in  East  and  West-Jersey,  and  other  Parts  of  that  Country,  to 
whom  they  had  imparted  them,  at  my  Desire. 

The  Reverend  Mr.  Evan  Evans,  the  Minister  of  the  Church  of  England 
Congregation  at  Philadelphia,  informed  me,  that  (beside  the  considerable 
Number  of  Converts  to  the  Church  from  Quakerism,  that  the  former  Minister, 
the  Reverend  Mr.  Claiton  had  baptized)  by  his  Account,  since  he  was 
Minister  there,  he  had  baptized  of  Men,  Women,  and  Children,  in  Pensilvania 
and  West-Jersey,  of  English  and  Welsh,  about  Five  hundred;  many,  or 
most  of  them,  having  been  Quakers,  and  the  Children  of  Quakers,  and 
Quakerly  affected ;  and  beside  these,  many  who  had  left  Quakerism,  and  had 
joined  to  the  Church,  had  been  baptized  in  Infancy,  not  having  been  born  of 
Quaker  Parents. 

Since  our  Arrival  into  those  American  Parts,  by  the  Blessing  of  God  upon 
our  Labours  among  them,  in  Pensilvania,  West  and  East-Jersey,  and  New- 
York  Province,  there  have  been,  by  modest  Computation,  at  least  two 
hundred  Persons  baptized  of  Quakers,  and  their  Children,  and  Servants,  and 
of  such  who  were  Quakerly  affected,  by  Mr.  Talbot,  and  Mr.  Evans,  and  by 
me,  and  some  by  the  Reverend  Mr.  Vesey,  Minister  of  New-York,  in  that 
Town.  And  beside  these,  many  who  had  been  baptized  in  Infancy,  have 
come  off  from  Quakerism  and  joined  to  the  Church  in  these  Countries,  since 
we  travelled  and  preached  among  them,  and  had  much  Conference  with 
diverse  of  them  in  private  from  House  to  House.  Diverse  also  of  Dissenters 
formerly  disaffected  to  the  Church,  who  were  not  Quakers,  are  become  well 
affected  to  the  Church,  and  her  Publick  way  of  Worship,  and  Administration 
of  the  holy  Sacraments,  as  well  as  to  the  Truth  of  Her  Doctrine,  since  our 
Labouring  among  them,  both  in  East  and  West-Jersey,  and  else  where  ;  so 
that,  God  be  Praised,  almost  in  all  these  Countries  where  we  Travelled  and 
Laboured,  in  some  of  which  there  was  little  to  be  observed  but  Quakerism,  or 
Heathenism,  which  are  much  one  (and  if  we  may  believe  some  of  the 
Quakers  great  Authors,  they  are  altogether  one,  viz.  the  Religion  of  the 
Quakers,  and  of  such  Heathens,  who  were  obedient  to  the  Light  within  them, 
but  without  all  Faith,  and  Knowledge  of  Christ,  as  he  came  in  the  Flesh). 
I  say,  in  all  these  Countries  almost,  by  the  Blessing  of  God  on  our  Labours, 
there  are  good  Materials  prepared  for  the  Building  of  Churches,  of  living 
Stones,  as  soon  as,  by  the  good  Providence  of  God,  Ministers  shall  be  sent 
among  them,  who  have  the  discretion  and  due  qualifications  requisite  to 
Build  with  them.     The  Truth  of  which  some  of  the  late  Missionaries  have 

4 


50  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

found,  to  their  great  Comfort,  who,  as  soon  as  they  Arrived  into  these  Parts, 
unto  which  they  were  sent,  did  find  a  People  prepared  to  receive  them  ;  so 
that  what  others  had  Sown  before  them,  they  have  Reaped,  and  I  hope  will 
more  abundantly  Reap. 

In  Pensilvania,  where  there  was  but  one  Church  of  England  Congregation 
settled,  to  wit,  at  Philadelphia  (and  even  that  but  of  few  Years  standing)  at 
our  Arrival  there ;  there  are  now,  Blessed  be  God,  Five  Church  of  England 
Congregations  supplied  with  Ministers,  and  who  have  convenient  Churches, 
where  the  People  assemble  constantly  every  Lord's  Day  to  the  Prayers  and 
Sermons,  and  where  the  Holy  Sacraments  are  duly  Administered,  according 
to  the  Church  of  England.  The  places  in  Pensilvania,  where  these  Churches 
are  set  up,  are,  the  first,  Philadelphia,  the  second  Chester  or  Upland,  the 
third  Franckfort  alias  Oxford,  the  fourth  New-Castle,  the  fifth  Apoquimene. 

At  Philadelphia,  they  have  Prayers  in  the  Church,  not  only  on  the  Lordrs 
Days,  and  other  holy  Days,  but  all  Wednesdays  and  Fridays  weekly,  and  the 
Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  administered  Monthly,  and  the  Number  of 
the  Communicants  considerable.  The  Church  is  commonly  well  filled  with 
People  every  Lord's  Day,  and  when  they  are  fully  assembled,  both  of  the 
Town  and  Country  that  belong  to  that  Congregation,  they  may  well  be 
reckoned,  by  modest  Computation,  to  amount  to  Five  Hundred  Persons  of 
Hearers.  But  sometimes  there  are  many  more ;  and  generally  the  Converts 
from  Quakerism,  are  good  Examples,  both  for  frequenting  the  Church  Prayersy 
and  frequent  partaking  of  the  Lord's-Supper,  with  zeal  and  devotion,  and  also 
of  sober  and  virtuous  Living  in  their  daily  conversation,  to  the  frustrating  the 
lying  Prophecies  and  Expectations  of  the  Quaker  Preachers  especially,  who 
used  to  Prophecy,  that  whoever  left  the  Profession  of  Quakers,  after  that 
should  be  good  for  nothing,  but  as  unsavoury  Salt,  to  be  trod  under  foot  of 
Men.  But  to  God's  Praise  be  it  said,  they  may  be  generally  compared  with 
the  best  Quakers  for  their  Morals,  and  far  to  exceed  many  of  them  in  that 
respect;  and  which  greatly  casts  the  Ballance,  that  the  Morals  of  those 
converted  from  Quakerism,  both  in  England  and  America,  or  any  where  else, 
are  Built  on  the  Foundation  of  the  Prophets  and  Apostles,  Jesus  Christ  being 
the  head  corner  Stone,  which  the  Quakers  Morals  (no  more  than  the  Heathens) 
are  not  Built  upon. 

At  Burlington  in  West-Jersey,  Twenty  Miles  distant  from  Philadelphia, 
on  the  other  side  of  Delaware- River,  there  is  now  a  settled  Congregation, 
with  a  fixed  Minister,  to  wit,  the  Reverend  Mr.  John  Talbot,  my  Fellow 
Labourer,  where  there  is  a  large  Congregation,  and  a  considerable  Number 
of  Communicants,  many  of  them  having  been  formerly  Quakers,  and  Quaker- 
ly  affected,  or  such  as  were  of  no  particular  denomination.  And  such  of  them 
as  had  not  been  Baptized  in  Infancy,  have  received  Baptism,  partly  by  Mr. 
Evans,  and  partly  by  Mr.  Talbot,  and  some  of  them  by  me.  Mr.  Talbot  has 
Baptized  most  of  them  who  have  been  Baptized,  since  our  Arrival  among 
them,  and  particularly  all  the  Children,  both  Males  and  Females,  of  William 
Budd,  who  formerly  was  a  Quaker-Preacher,  but  is  come  over  from  Quaker- 
ism, to  the  Church,  with  diverse  others  of  the  Neighbourhood,  in  the  Country 
about  the  Town  of  Burlington,  who  come  usually  to  the  Church  at  Burling- 
ton  on  the  Lord's-Day ;  some  of  them,  Six,  Eight,  and  some  of  them  Ten,  or 
Twelve  Miles,  and  some  of  them  more. 


George  KeitKs  Journal.  51 

In  some  other  Places  the}7  are  about  Building  Churches,  both  in  West  and 
East-Jersey. 

The  place  at  Franckfort  in  Pensilvania,  where  the  Congregation  Assembles 
on  the  Lord's-Day,  is  called,  Trinity  Chappel,  it  was  formerly  a  Quaker 
Meeting-House,  Built,  or  fitted  by  Quakers,  but  some  time  ago  has  been  given 
to  the  Church,  by  such  who  had  the  Right  to  it :  Some  Land  adjoining  was 
given  by  a  Person  well  affected  to  the  Church,  for  the  use  of  the  Minister, 
who  should  reside,  there,  for  a  House,  Garden,  and  small  Orchard. 

I  can  say  little  to  any  Success  we  had  in  America,  amongst  the  other  sort 
of  Quakers,  though,  as  the  above-written  Journal  sheweth,  I  Laboured  much 
among  them,  in  true  Love,  and  good  Will ;  but  they  being  misled,  and 
prejudiced  by  their  Leaders,  seemed  too  generally  to  reject  my  Labour  of 
Love  ;  however,  I  am  not  without  hope,  that  the  Seed  that  God  had  enabled 
me  to  Sow  among  them,  will  in  some  of  them,  in  due  time,  take  Boot  down- 
ward, and  bear  Fruit  upward,  though  little  of  it  doth  yet  appear. 

There  are  now  Thirteen  Ministers  in  the  Northern  Parts  of  America,  all 
placed  within  these  two  Years  last  past,  and  generally  Supported  and 
Maintained  by  the  Honourable  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in 
Foreign  Parts. 

In  all  the  Places  where  we  travelled,  the  Governours  of  all  the  several 
Provinces,  did  very  kindly  treat  us,  and  give  us  all  possible  Countenance  and 
Encouragement  that  we  could  desire  or  expect. 


52  Protestant  J&piscopal  Historical  Collections* 

Here  fo'llotoeth  an  Account  of  the  several  Treatises  1  wrote  and 
published  in  Print,  in  North  America,  within  the  Time  of  my 
Abode  there,  in  the   Years  1702,  and  1703,  to  1704. 

I.  TV/T^  Sermon    I   preached   at   Boston,  on   Ephes.   2.  20.   printed 
JLVJL  there. 

II.  My  printed  Sheet,  in  a  Letter  to  Mr.  Samuel  Willard,  a  Preacher  at 
Boston. 

III.  My  Reply  to  Mr.  Increase  Mather's  printed  Remarks  against  the  Six 
Rules  I  gave  in  my  Sermon,  on  Ephes.  2.  20. 

IV.  My  Answer  to  Mr.  Samuel  Willard's  Reply  to  my  printed  Sheet. 

V.  My  Answer  to   Caleb  Pusey  Quaker,  his  Book  against  me,  which  he 
abusively  called,  Proteus  Ecclesiasticus. 

VI.  The  Account  of  the  blasphemous  Notions  of  William  Davis,  who 
after  he  left  the  Quakers,  set  up  for  a  Sect-Master. 

VII.  My  Answer  to  a  second  Book  of  Caleb  Pusey  against  me* 

VIII.  My  Sermon  preached  at  New-York,  on  Acts  2.  41,  42. 

IX.  My  Sermon  preached  at  New-York,  on  1  Cor.  12.  13. 

X.  My  Sermon  preached  at  Annapolis  in  Maryland,  on  1  Thes.  1.  5. 

All  these  bound  up  in  one  Book,  I  humbly  presented  to  the  Society,  soon 
after  my  Arrival  at  London  :  The  Book  it  self  may  be  found  at  the  Library 
of  the  most  Reverend  Thomas  Lord  Arch  Bishop  of  Canterbury,  by  St» 
Martins  in  the  Fields,  where  the  Society  useth  to  meet. 


"George  Keith?  s  Journal.  53 


APPENDIX. 

The  Six  Rules  above-mentioned,  in  the  first  Sheet  of  the 
foregoing  Journal,  are  these  following. 


The  First  Rule, 

WHATEVER  is  enjoyn'd  by  our  Superiours,  if  it  contradict  not  God's 
Commands  in  Holy  Scripture,  ought  for  Conscience  sake  to  be 
obey'd,  according  to  1  Pet.  2.  13,  14,  Bom.  13.  5.  Heb.  13.  7,  17.  And  if 
what  they  enjoyn,  be  not  made  a  Command  of  God,  or  an  Article  of  Faith,  or 
a  Means  of  Grace. 

The   Second  Rule. 

Whatever  Church  holds  the  Fundamentals  of  Christian  Religion,  and  has 
the  Word  of  God  duly  Preach'd,  and  the  Sacraments  of  Baptism  and  the 
Lord's-Supper  duly  Administered ;  such  a  Church  is  a  true  Church  of  Christ; 
and  to  separate  from  such  a  Church  in  external  Communion,  and  in  external 
Acts  of  Worship,  is  a  Sin,  the  which  Sin  is  the  Sin  of  Schism,  that  is  very 
heinous,  Rom.  16.  17.  1  Qor.  12.  25.  1  Cor.  1.  10,  13.  and  nothing  can 
excuse  from  the  Guilt  of  that  Sin,  unless  when  anything  is  enjoyn'd  to  Persons 
that  is  really  sinful  and  contrary  to  God's  Commands  given  us  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures  ;  not  what  Men,  by  Prejudice  of  Education,  or  by  wrong  Informa- 
tion, say  is  Sin,  but  what  really  is  so,  and  can  be  clearly  proved  to  be  so  out 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  And  if  they  cannot  join  in  one  or  some  external 
Acts  of  Worship,  because  sinful;  yet  in  other  Acts  they  ought  to  join  that 
are  not  sinful. 

The  Third  Rule, 

WTiat  Things  we  see  amiss  in  particular  Persons,  are  not  to  be  charged 
upon  the  whole  Church,  unless  the  Church  do  justify  those  Persons  in  those 
Things ;  and  what  we  can't  amend,  we  ought  to  bear ;  for  there  is  no 
Christian  Society  upon  Earth  but  has  some  particular  Persons  that  do  amiss ; 
and  all  Dissenters,  when  particular  Failings  of  particular  Persons  are  objected 
to  them,  give  the  like  Excuse, 


54  Protestant  Episcopal  Historical  Collections. 

Tike  Fourth  Rule. 

To  join  in  external  Acts  of  Publick  Worship,  where  the  Matter  is  found, 
tho7  there  be  a  great  Mixture  of  unsound  Members  with  others  found,  is  no 
Sin,  but  our  Duty,  for  which  we  are  warranted  both  by  the  Practice  of  the 
Prophets,  and  other  holy  Persons  in  the  Ancient  Jewish  Church,  who  never 
did  separate  from  the  Publick  Worship  of  God  when  the  Matter  of  it  was- 
found,  notwithstanding  that  Things  were  very  much  amiss  amongst  them  m 
Practice :  And  also  by  the  Example  of  Zacharias  and  Elizabeth,  and  all 
other  holy  Persons  that  were  then  in  the  Jewish  Church,  and  by  the  Example 
of  our  Saviour  himself  and  his  Apostles,  who  frequented  the  Temple  Worship, 
performed  in  the  Synagogues  before  our  Saviour's  Passion,  that  put  an  end  to 
Circumcision,  and  Sacrifices,  and  other  Types  of  the  Old  Testament. 

The  Fifth  Rule, 

Whatsoever  Things  were  commanded  of  God,  or  allow'd  and  practised 
lawfully  under  the  OM  Testament,  that  were  neither  any  Part  of  the 
Ceremonial  Law,  nor  of  the  Jewish  Polity  peculiar  to  that  Nation,  are  stil$ 
binding  to  us  under  the  New  Testament,  or  allow'd  and  practiced  lawfully  \ 
and  a  Proof  out  of  the  Old  Testament,  in  all  such  Cases,  is  as  good  as  a  Proof 
out  of  the  New. 

The  Sixth  Rule. 

Set  Forms  of  Prayer  and  Thanksgiving  (where  the  People  pray  Tocally 
with  the  Minister)  are  a  Duty  as  well  under  the  New  Testament  as  the  Old ; 
and  that  it  was  practised  under  the  Old,  is  clear  from  Isa.  29.  13.  Joel  2.  17<> 
Uos.  14.  2,  3.  Mat.  15.  8,  &c.  And  under  the  New  Testament  our  Saviour 
gave  a  Form  of  Prayer  to  his  Disciples,  which  he  commanded  his  Disciples 
to  say  ;  and  John  the  Baptist  taught  his  Disciples  a  Form  of  Prayer,  Lulce 
11.  2.  And  many  of  the  Dissenters  use  the  iorm  of  Benediction  after 
Sermon,  The  Grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  dr.  And  they  use  the  Form 
of  Words  that  Christ  taught,  both  in  Baptism  and  the  Lord's-Supper.  Under 
the  Old  Testament  they  were  to  pray  with  the  Spirit,  and  with  Sincerity  of 
Heart  and  Affection,  as  well  as  under  the  New ;  and  therefore  if  praying  in  a 
Form  was  not  then  inconsistent  with  praying  by  the  Spirit,  no  more  is  & 
now. 


F    J    N   I    8, 


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